The Middle Way
by Orym Hawksong
Summary: AU. Some future chapters will be rated M. The story of Revan if he had never fallen. Starts right when the Jedi strike team boards Revan's ship. A story in which Revan is not the threat, merely the herald of what lies beyond the Outer Rim.
1. Chapter 1

Revan watched the battle from his command deck, secretly glad that he had built his mask so that it partially opened to allow him to eat and drink with his mask still on. He watched The Leviathan move forwards and ruthlessly destroy a hammerhead-class Republic cruiser. Revan frowned as he sipped on his Deralian wine. Of all the wines he had sampled he had found that he enjoyed Deralian wine the most.

Turning around, he senses that the Jedi strike team aboard his ship would reach the bridge very soon.

"All of you are dismissed. The Jedi will be here soon. Get off this ship, at this point I am authorizing the start of Operation: Light and Dark," said Revan without turning around. He felt every single member of the bridge salute him and then proceeding to leave with efficiency. He had handpicked each and every member of his personal command crew and knew that they would carry out his orders to the best of their capabilities… and then some.

As he watched the battle unfold in front of him, Revan heard the hiss of the durasteel door behind him and he knew that the Jedi strike team had arrived.

"Ah, so nice of you to finally join me," he said in his characteristically smooth tone. "Would you like some Deralian wine? I guarantee you will enjoy it. The taste is most exquisite."

"Revan! You _will_ pay for your crimes!" called out a feminine voice that sent a tingle down Revan's spine.

"_Bastila? What was __**she**__ doing here?"_

Revan turned around and saw that Bastila was indeed at the front of the Jedi strike team, yellow lightsaber in hand, face completely drenched in sweat, and those blue-grey eyes of hers shimmered fiercely.

"Bastila… It's been a long time. You've grown. I suppose congratulations are in order Knight Shan," said Revan as he walked towards her.

"You're mistaken. I'm not a Knight," said Bastila coldly. Revan was genuinely taken aback.

"What? I thought that with your Battle Meditation, the Council would have promoted you by now," said Revan in surprise.

"I trust in their greater wisdom. As you should have," said Bastila bitterly.

"Surrender now Revan," said another Jedi igniting his own purple lightsaber.

"You realize that I could kill you all without breaking a sweat," commented Revan dryly slightly amused as all of the Jedi visibly flinched.

"But… If it is my surrender you want, you shall have it," said Revan as he slowly reached for his lightsaber watching as the Jedi immediately went into battle formation. He unhooked both lightsabers from his belt and handed them over to an extremely surprised Bastila.

"You didn't expect me to just surrender did you?" said Revan with a chuckle. The answer was written plainly on their faces.

"Your mask," said Bastila still in shock, staring down at the two lightsabers in her hand.

Revan laughed as he reached up and took off his mask making sure that his face was still obscured by the shadow of his hood. He handed it took the Jedi with the purple lightsaber.

"Why are you doing this?" asked the Jedi with the purple lightsaber, silently taking the Force for letting him live from what he thought would have been his last mission.

"I need to speak with the Council. This seemed like the fastest way," said Revan with a shrug. "Now if there aren't any more requests...?"

"You'll need to wear this," muttered Bastila stiffly as she hooked Revan's lightsabers to her belt and brought out a Neural Disruptor."

"A Neural Disruptor? Is that really necessary?" catching Bastila's eye he quickly added. "I suppose I _am_ the Dark Lord of the Sith…" Revan sighed and took the Neural Disruptor and fastened it around his neck. The clouding to his thoughts was instantaneous.

"Lead… the way," said Revan as he fought to keep his thoughts coherent.

As the Jedi turned to leave a sharp warning in the Force caused Revan's eyes to widen. He felt a ripple of dark energy surging from Malak and The Leviathan. Cursing he grabbed a hold of Bastila he yanked her back to him, causing her to yelp with surprise. The other Jedi immediately turned around and ignited their lightsabers.

"Get this Neural Disruptor off me now!" When the Jedi did not move he impatiently added, "If you don't we all die!"

Bastila looked up at him for a second before pulling a control pad off of her belt.

"Bastila what are you doing?" the other Jedi screamed in unison. Bastila ignored them and deactivated the Neural Disruptor on Revan's neck.

Without a second to spare Revan whirled around and brought his mastery of the Force to bear. He concentrated all of his efforts into his visualization of a wall in between him and the rest of the Command Deck. The moment the wall came into being, the lasers of The Leviathan pounded into the Command Deck. Revan's wall shock but held firm underneath the barrage of lasers.

"What are you waiting for? Go!" roared Revan at the Jedi. Without looking back the Jedi turned around and ran for their lives. All but one.

"What are you doing Bastila? Run!"

"Our orders were to bring you back at all costs!" yelled Bastila in retaliation.

"Screw your orders! You're going to _die_ if you don't get out of here now!" yelled Revan as he turned around and Force Pushed her out of the Command Deck.

With a sense of horror, Revan realized that his momentary lapse in concentration had weakened the wall he had created.

"_Oh shit."_

Before Revan had time to reinforce it, another laser blast pounded through it. Revan gritted his teeth in agony as he felt his broken body sail through the open durasteel door… and he landed right next to Bastila. Revan let out a chuckle that sounded more like a wheeze as he expelled the air from his damaged lungs. Oh, the irony. If he could actually laugh right now, Revan would have. He grinned as he felt the darkness that had been steadily creeping towards him pull him into its embrace.

Bastila turned to her side and saw the unconscious Revan lying next to her. His robe had been blown off in the explosion and she saw that unlike other Dark Jedi, his face was left unmarred by corruption. His skin was tan had numerous cuts from the shards of glass and metal that had cut him when the lasers hit; his dark brown hair was messy and wild. He seemed so peaceful to Bastila, so peaceful in fact, that she had to remind herself that the man lying next to her was responsible for the deaths of billions of innocent people. Hoping that she was making the right choice Bastila started to use the Force to stabilize Revan and heal his wounds.

Revan groaned as he opened his eyes. The throbbing in the back of his head did nothing to make him feel better. As he looked up, he realized that he must have been in the now vacant Kolto tank. Looking around, Revan spotted a single pair of folded robes, the standard for a padawan. As he slipped the robes on, he heard the door behind him open with a hiss. Turning around, he came face to face with Bastila.

"Bastila," said Revan with a small bow.

"How are you feeling?" asked Bastila.

"Better than I was on The Onslaught," said Revan with a small smile, as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"The Council will see you now. But before we go…," said Bastila as she held out a Neural Disruptor.

"Is this really necessary? Haven't I already proven that I'm _not_ going to go on a rampage and kill every Jedi I see?"asked an exasperated Revan. When Bastila didn't respond Revan swiped the Neural Disruptor out of Bastila's hand, mutter darkly about ungrateful Jedi.

As Revan and Bastila entered the Council chamber, Revan nervously regarded his four previous masters. While he knew that in terms of both physical strength and strength in the force he surpassed all but Master Vandar, he was still nervous about meeting them again after he had left the Order to join the Mandalorian War, especially after how _that_ had turned out.

"Ah Revan, it has been awhile since we last spoke," said Zhar not unkindly.

"Yes Master Zhar," said Revan unable to keep the embarrassment from his voice. He inwardly winced as the memories of their last encounter surfaced. He had shouted at Zhar the last time they met.

"Let bygones, be bygones," said Zhar as he sensed his former pupil's discomfort.

"You are here because of another reason. One of the Jedi sent to capture you told us you surrendered because you wished to speak with us," said Master Vrook, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Revan.

"Yes Masters," said Revan. "You remember what you said before I left for the Mandalorian Wars?"

"We told you that there was something else manipulating the Mandalorians. Something far more sinister," said Master Vandar as he looked at Revan curiously.

"You… were right," said Revan still slightly miffed at having to admit he was wrong. "There _was_ something out there. Something far worse than you or I could have previously imagined."

"What did you find?" asked Master Dorak, keen to record this in the Archives.

"After Malachor V, Malak and I took our fleets into Unknown Space. We were search for the remnants of the Mandalorian armada. A small fleet of their ships managed to get away from Malachor V in time to escape the Mass Shadow Generator's activation," said Revan darkly. "What we found, was terror beyond belief. I have never been more terrified than that single time."

"What did you find?" asked Bastila almost afraid to hear the answer.

"The True Sith," said Revan quietly. The Council and Bastila felt Revan's Force signature fade away from pure fear as he uttered those words. "Instead of merely telling you what I saw, I think it would be better if you saw it for yourself. Bastila, if you would please remove the Neural Disruptor?"

Bastila waited for the Council's nod before she released the power on the Neural Disruptor and allowed Revan to remove it from his neck. Revan rubbed his neck before continuing, "I would like to warn you before hand, I am going to be drawing all of you into my mind. Please, don't be alarmed, and don't resist."

Revan drew upon the Force as he touched the minds of Bastila, Dorak, Zhar, Vandar, and Vrook. Making sure that they were all ready, he slowly drew their consciousnesses' into his memories of the day he felt true despair. Using the Force as a medium, Revan transmitted his own memories of what had happened that day.

_ Revan stepped out of the small cruiser that had brought him from The Onslaught down to the surface of the planet. He had felt a strong pull from the Force to lead him here. He knew that the Dark Side had a strong hold over the planet. Revan watch as Malak walked off the cruiser behind him, leading a contingent of Jedi. _

"_The Dark Side is strong here Revan," said one of the Jedi nervously._

"_I know, but we have to confront this. Whatever it is. The Council was right, there __**is**__ something manipulating the Mandalorians, and It's here on this planet. We have to stop it," said Revan. "Malak, you take half of the Jedi and circle around from the back, we'll crush whatever it is in a pincer movement. Make sure to use flash grenades first, then Thermal Detonators , and then, I want Consulars and Sentinels to provide back up with the Force while the Guardian's engage it," said Revan as the groups nodded and split up._

_ As Revan's team approached the target, he whispered into his comlink. "Malak, are you in position?"_

"_We are."_

"_Go."_

_ As one, the two strike teams lobbed no less than fifteen flash grenades at the center of the Dark Side energies of the planet. Without stopping to see if the grenades and done their job, the Jedi launched another ten Thermal Detonators at the target. Revan looked out from their hiding place to see that whatever it was, their target had suspended all of the grenades in mid air. Cursing, he reached out with the Force and detonated all of them in mid air._

"_Go!" roared Revan as the Guardians, Malak, and himself rushed from their hiding places to charge the target. Behind him Revan could hear the Consulars and Sentinels using the force to try and keep a stasis field around their target. _

_ As the smoke cleared, Revan finally saw his opponent. It was a tall, heavily built figure with red skin and piercing yellow eyes that burned with the power of the Dark Side. It had a long tentacle beard bone spurs lined its skin. In its right hand was large double bladed sword._

"_No… It can't be…"_ _thought Revan as fear engulfed him._

_ The figure waved his hand towards the approaching Jedi, all of the Guardians, save for Revan and Malak, were propelled backwards. It then raised its hands as all of the Jedi; this time Revan and Malak included, were electrocuted with Force Lightning. Revan wearily got to his feet, knowing that only Malak and himself had survived that last attack._

_ Revan and Malak circled the being, lightsabers ignited, waiting for it to make its move. The Sith finally leapt at Revan twirling his blade overhead aas he brought it down towards Revan's head. Revan quickly brought his lighrtsaber up to block the blade and raised his other hand to Push it away._

"_So… The Jedi finally arrive," said the creature in its deep voice._

"_How do you know Galactic Basic?" inquired Revan as he parried one of its strikes. Malak did everything he could to try and land a blow on the creature but to no avail._

"_I ripped it from the mind of one of your companions," said the Sith with a shrug as it swung its blade at Revan's side._

"_What __**are**__ you?" asked Revan._

"_I am a Sith. One of the True Sith. I am a member of the Massassi warrior caste," growled the creature as he sent a wave of Force towards Malak and Revan. The two raised their own defenses, but were stunned when the Sith's Force Wave tore through their own defenses and sent the flying._

"_You cannot beat me," said the Sith in a whisper as he allowed his full power to flow._

_ Revan and Malak stared at what they thought was a black hole in the Force. The Massassi had started to drain the Force energies out of the entire planet. Revan gasped as he felt all of his energy forcibly ripped from his body. The pain had caused him to fall to his knees. Turning, he saw that Malak had fainted from the shock._

"_Do you see now? I am nothing more than a soldier. Your pathetic Republic can do nothing but feel the wrath of our revenge."_

_ The Sith used the Force to hold Revan up to eye level as he then burned images of their conquest and the sheer number of troops into Revan's mind. Flashes of death, destruction, chaos, genocide, slavery, and the worst atrocities possible filled Revan's mind as he screamed. He saw entire worlds turned lifeless as the Sith sucked all of the Force energies from them. He saw worlds literally reduced to dust as the Sith used the Force to literally crush the planet. Finally, Revan saw thousands upon thousands of True Sith war ships heading towards Republic Space._

"_Your Order uses blood to measure midi-chlorian counts," said the Sith as he used the force to pull a vial from Revan's robes, he used his sword to cut his arm and let a couple drops of his own blood fall into the vial. "Compare my count to yours and know true despair."_

"_Your precious Republic... is doomed," said the Massassi as he dropped Revan to the ground and walked away._

"And now… You see what is out there," whispered Revan to a silent and shocked Council.

"Revan," started Bastila gently. "What was the Massassi's midi-chlorian count?"

"Revan?" she asked again when he didn't answer, this time she was unable to keep her own fear out of her voice.

"Master Vandar has a midi-chlorian count of 17,670 if I remember correctly," said Revan as he looked at the Master who nodded.

"I have a midi-chlorian count of 16,870. The Massassi… had a midi-chlorian count of… 28,690." An almost tangible silence filled the room.

"I went to Korriban after that incident. I dug through all of the Sith archives there to find out how high the warrior caste was in comparison with the rest. There is another caste above the Massassi."

"The Kissai," said Dorak with a nod.

"I used the Massassi blood to run a test to project the midi-chlorian count of the Kissai. They have projected midi-chlorian range of 31,000 to 65,000."

"If what you say is true why haven't the True Sith attacked yet?" asked Vrook.

"My Sith Empire was keeping them at bay," said Revan with a sigh. "Let me start at the beginning. After We returned from that encounter, Malak and I desperately sought a way to combat the True Sith, we stumbled across a long forgotten empire called the Infinite Empire, led by a race known as the Rakata. We searched for the secret to their success, and found it was a Dark Side artifact called the Star Forge. We sought out the Star Forge by finding Star Maps on Dantooine, Tatooine, Manaan, Korriban, and Kashyyyk. When we found the Star Forge, we used it to mass produce ships and a droid army we sent to stem the tide of the True Sith."

"So… you never really fell?" asked Bastila.

"I can close. I came very, _very_ close. But I never actually fell," said Revan. "Something I was researching required me to come very close to falling. I took a risk, hoping I would have been strong enough to pull away before the Dark Side consumed me. The Star Forge required the Dark Side to operate so Malak and I took turns using it, each of us falling a little bit more with each use. It seems that Malak couldn't resist the pull."

"And that is the reason you needed to speak with us?" asked Vandar.

"Yes. I also… need guidance from the Council. I find myself… lost. I have a goal, to stop the True Sith, but I have no way to reach it," admitted Revan.

"Very well, Knight Revan, the Council will need to deliberate on your current situation. We will inform you when we have reached a decision," said Vandar.

"As you wish Masters," said Revan with a bow as he and Bastila respectfully left the Council to their deliberations.

"So now you know the truth," said Revan quietly as he and Bastila walked through the Jedi enclave.

"I'm still trying to digest the fact that the Dark Lord of the Sith isn't really a Dark Lord, or a Sith," said Bastila.

"The Irony is too great," said Revan sarcastically. His smile faded as he adopted a more serious tone, "Bastila, I'd like to know what happened after I… left."

"I got assigned to Master Lamar," said bastila as her blue-grey eyes bore into his. Oh, she **definitely** wouldn't forgive him for that. "Apart from the stricter training regimen, nothing much changed. Just that news of your ever growing victories on the holo-net."

"Well, if I had known you would have had to suffer through six years of training with Master Lamar, I would have stayed," said Revan apologetically.

Revan quietly laughed as the two continued to walk around the Jedi enclave, Revan was content to relax, finally having a day where he didn't have to worry about half a dozen Dark Jedi trying t kill him for his position or, fighting massive space battles.

"Revan, there's something I need to tell you, the Council didn't mention," said Bastila after deciding that it was in his best interests to know the Force Bond between them had strengthened.

"What is it?"

"You know how Master and their Padawan sometimes develop a Force Bond?"

"Yeah, I know we had, have one," said Revan nonchalantly.

"Well… on The Onslaught, when that laser broke through your wall, your body was failing rapidly. I had to use the Force to keep you alive and stable. When it was over, I realized that the bond between us had been strengthened considerably," said Bastila.

Revan searched around inside his mind when Bastila mentioned the strengthened bond. Sure enough, he found a part of his mind that was his own, yet not his own at the same time. Through it, he realized that he could feel Bastila's emotions as if they were his own, it also came with the realization that _she_ was the reason he felt so at peace in the enclave.

Miss Shan?" asked a little boy; no older than six, as he stopped in front of them.

"Yes?" asked Bastila kindly as she smiled at the boy.

"The Masters wish to see you and, your companion," said the boy.

"Thank you. We'll be right there," said Bastila as the boy nodded and ran off.

"They seem to get more energetic each time I come here," said Revan with a smile.

"Come on," said Bastila sas she rolled her eyes and forced Revan to turn and head back towards the Council chamber.

As Revan and Bastila entered the chamber, the Council stood , ready to pass judgement. Revan couldn't be a little uneasy. What if they decided to sever his connection to the Force? He shivered. Surely they wouldn't be that severe… would they?

"We are grateful for the information you have brought us, Revan. We understand that though your actions were questionable you have always done what you thought was best for the Republic," said Vandar.

"But you did go against the Council," continued Zhar.

"Therefore, we have decided to demote you to the rank of Padawan," finished Vrook.

Revan nodded. It was more than he had hoped for. He knew that he would have been stripped of his rank of Jedi Knight, and he thought that the Council would have imposed even more restrictions upon him, but it seemed that they were being lenient with him.

"While we understand the threat the True Sith represent, The Republic; however, will not, and cannot spare any resources to stop the True Sith until Malak, and his Sith are stopped," said Master Vandar.

"Therefore, you must stop Malak before we can begin to assess the threat of the True Sith," explained Master Vrook.

"I understand Masters," said Revan as he bowed again.

"Understand then, that because of your… past, we cannot allow you to do this alone. You are to be one of the Jedi guarding Bastila. To keep the fact that you are still alive hidden, you will be called Darius Wolkos," continued Zhar.

"As you command. I thought that the Republic wouldn't be able to deal with the True Sith until Malak was stopped, so I assigned my best men to stall the True Sith," said Revan. "You may be familiar with them."

"Who did you assign to this task?" asked Bastila curiously.

"The Council of Ten. The ten best blademasters of my former Sith Order, they were the ones that served as the Command crew of The Onslaught. They've taken a little over half of the Sith armada and most of the ships from the Star Forge to stem the tide of the True Sith," said Revan.

Bastila and the Council's eyes widend at this revelation. The Council of Ten was Revan's most feared unit. Everyone in the Republic had heard tales of their prowess. The video of the Council in action of Malachor V, slaughtering an entire battalion of Mandalorians by themselves was famous. If Revan had sent them to combat the True Sith, then the situation was dire indeed.

"You seem to have taken many precautions Revan. One must wonder what precaution you have taken in case we had decided to strip you of the Force," said Vrook narrowing his eyes.

"I did have a precaution for that, but it was an untried and risky one at best. I am glad I did not have to resort to it. But I must warn you The Council of Ten will not be able to hold off the True Sith indefinitely. Even as we speak the True Sith have already begun to scout the farthest reaches of the Outer Rim," said Revan seriously.

"Very well. You, Bastila and the other Jedi accompanying her are to report to the Endar Spire tomorrow. You will be participating in a counterattack to retake the planet of Taris. Bastila, please keep an eye on Revan and make sure he does not run wild in our absence. Revan, if we hear you have been going against the Council whenyou return, it had better be for a good reason," finished Master Vandar, dismissing the two.

"One last question Masters."

"Yes Revan?"

"Where is my armor?"

"It is being stored in the Archives. It will be returned to you when we deem you are ready." Revan groaned as Zhar and Dorak exchanged an amused glance.

"So. Taris huh?" asked Revan with a grin.

"Yes, Taris. We are supposed to be the advance party, scouting out the planet's defenses before regrouping with the rest of the fleet," said Bastila.

"Wait," said Revan as he suddenly stopped walking.

"What?" asked Bastila as she stopped and turned to look at Revan.

"You're going to be on the Endar Spire."

"Yes."

"And the Endar Spire is the scout ship."

"Yes. What is the purpose of these questions?" asked Bastila impatiently.

"Your Battle Meditation is the key to the Republic's war effort. You are their ace in the hole. Why would they risk your safety by sending you out; on a single ship, to scout out the Sith armada at Taris?"

Bastila frowned as she realized Revan's train of logic. Now that she thought about it, it did make no sense for the Republic to send her to the front lines without adequate protection. In all the previous battles she participated in, she had had at least half a dozen Republic cruisers between her and the front lines.

"I don't know," admitted Bastila. "But there must be a reason."

"I know the reason," said Revan grimly. "The Republic's being betrayed. Malak has someone high up in the Republic on his side. They got the Endar Spire to be the scout ship so Malak could ambush it and capture you. Malak's using _my_ tactics. The bastard can't even think for himself."

When Bastila looked at him Revan added, "It's how we took back Onderon and Dxun from the Mandalorians."

"What should we do then? If we alert the fleet then the traitor will know that he or she's being watched," said Bastila trying to come up with a solution to their dilemma.

"Here's what we do. We go along with the mission as if nothing's wrong. However, we keep the Jedi and a few trusted soldiers on high alert. When the Sith attack we seal off the escape pods. My guess is that whoever is betraying us will try to make their way to the escape pods _before_ the attack. We apprehend anyone trying to get to the escape pods, then you use your Battle Meditation and we get the heck out of there," said Revan.

"We suffer minimum damage, root out a traitor, and complete our mission," said Bastila in wonder as she realized the genius behind Revan's counter plan.

"Exactly. However just in case it doesn't go as planned, I would ask that we have a couple Jedi Starfighters standing by, cloaked, just in case we run into trouble. Then, we know that the traitor won't find out about our backup because the Jedi are a separate organization from the Republic," continued Revan, trying to make sure that nothing would go wrong.

"Should I inform the Council?" asked Bastila.

"It's your choice. You are my commanding officer. It's up to you," said Revan as they continued to walk.

"I'll go inform them then. What are you going to do?" asked Bastila, as they made another circuit around the enclave.

"I'm going to go back to the infirmary and grab my lightsabers. I'm going to find a couple of Knights to practice with. I don't want to get rusty. Care to join me?" said Revan with a grin.

"If you will meet me in the Training Room I will. I want to see how much I've improved after six years," said Bastila favoring Revan with a rare smile.

Revan reached the Training Room first. When he saw that it was empty, he sat down and started to meditate. He relaxed as he let all of the energy within him out. He unconsciously smiled as he felt himself bond with Force. It was one of the more unorthodox techniques that Master Kreia taught him. She had shown him that as a person immersed himself or herself deeper and deeper within the Force, they could feel its will. As he allowed himself to fall deeper and deeper within the Force he could feel it guiding him towards a confrontation with his former friend and apprentice, but beyond that, the Force would not show him anymore. Understanding that this was all the Force would reveal to himself at this time Revan slowly brought himself out of his trance. As he opened his eyes, he saw that a crowd of Jedi had gathered around him. Among the crowd, Revan recognized Bastila and one of the Jedi that had been sent to capture him. As he turned to look at the entrance of the Training Room, he saw Zhar smile at him before leaving.

"Are you finally ready Darius?" asked Bastila, using his other identity.

"Yes. Would anyone else care to join us…?" asked Revan looking around at the gathered Jedi.

"I will," said the Jedi that had been sent to capture him. Two more Jedi volunteered to stay as well, Revan recognized that one of them was a Knight from his robe, the other was a Cathar Padawan.

As Revan ignited both of his lightsabers, Bastila, the Knight, the Jedi sent to capture him, and the Cathar circled him. Revan noted that the Cathar was a Guardian from her blade color, Bastila was using a double bladed lightsaber, and the Knight was using a single bladed saber that was longer than most.

Revan assumed his most comfortable position. He held the red saber in his right hand in a reverse grip behind his back at a slight upwards diagonal. He held the yellow saber in his left hand in front of him at a slight upwards diagonal, opposite the direction of the one behind his back. He closed his eyes as he used the Force to sense which of the Jedi would attack first. As the Cathar pounced at him, he swung the red blade up to meet hers without opening his eyes. As the Cathar was deflected the knight started a complex series of attacks using Ataru. Revan spun the yellow saber in his left hand in horizontal cyclone catching the Knight's saber in the vortex and disarmed him. Revan heard the Knight's saber fall from his hands and he used the Force to push away Bastila, the Cathar, and the other Jedi as he used his foot to kick the pommel of the Knight's saber sending flying towards the other Jedi. As he hastily parried the blade, Revan took the opportunity to swing his right leg underneath the other Jedi sending him to the ground.

Revan turned just in time to block strikes from both Bastila and the Cathar. He grinned as he finally opened his eyes to stare directly into Bastila's grey-blue ones. Emerald met grey-blue as Revan launched a complicated series of attacks pushing both Bastila and the Cathar back. Using the Force to quickly turn a dial on his red saber back and forth, Revan was able to quickly push both Bastila and the Cathar into a completely defensive position by rapidly changing the length of the saber blade. Finally, he disarmed the Cathar as Bastila switched from Ataru to using Shiem in desperation. Revan calmly fended off Bastila's strikes as he patiently waited for a gap in Bastila's defenses to appear. When he finally saw an opening, Revan used the momentum of Bastila's strike against her and hit her double bladed saber hard enough that the spin tore it right out of her hands.

"Dead," said Revan with a cocky grin as he held his yellow saber to Bastila's neck.

"Where did you learn to fight like that Master? The only person I remember being able to use Jar'kai with such mastery was Revan, and I don't think even he could have fought with the amount of skill you displayed," inquired the Knight as he retrieved his own blade.

"I'm not a Master. I'm only a Padawan," said Revan with amusement as he looked at the disbelief etched onto the face of the Knight. Revan answered the Knight's unspoken question. "I was once a fellow Knight like yourself, but I disobeyed the Council and I followed Revan and Malak to war against the Mandalorians."

"Well, I hope the Council promotes you to Knight if not Master soon. We have great need of someone with your talents," said the Knight with a respectful bow as he left the room.

"Forgive me, It is not too often that one meets a Cathar Jedi," said Revan to the Cathar, keeping his tone respectful. "Did you perchance come from Taris?"

"I did," replied the Cathar with surprise. "How did you know?"

"I was with Revan the day he rescued a Cathar child that was strong in the Force," said Revan solemnly.

"Then I must thank you for my freedom. I owe you a debt that can never be repayed," said the Cathar with a deep bow.

"You owe me nothing. I would just like to know your name," said Revan kindly.

"It is Juhani."

"I hope we meet again Juhani. I am Darius. Darius Wolkos," replied Revan as Juhani left the room.

Revan looked around for the other Jedi but saw that he had mysteriously disappeared. When he turned around he saw Bastila retrieving her own double bladed lightsaber.

"You've improved," said Revan honestly as he moved towards his former Padawan.

Not as much as you have. I've never seen anyone fight like that. Not even the Masters. How did you improve so much in such a short time?" asked Bastila in amazement at Revan's skill.

"I fought with the True Sith a couple times after that first encounter. Every single one I encountered after the Massassi was a member of the Slave or Engineer castes. Even then they were all very powerful, each had the strength of a skilled Padawan or a new Knight. My only advantage was my lightsabers. I learned to adapt, to become quicker and more precise. I had to develop my own version of Jar'kai to fight them," said Revan.

"What of the other forms? Were they useless?" asked Bastila wondering if there was any hope for the rest of the Jedi if someone as talented as Revan had to resort to such measures.

"Oh yes, in fact Malak and the others employed Djem So, Ataru and Juyo to great effect against them. I'm just not sure how well those or even Jar'kai would do against a Massassi or a Kissai," said Revan wiping sweat off of his brow.

"We should rest, we'll have a long day tomorrow," said Bastila as she exited the Training Room.

Revan watched her go with a small smile on his face. It was heartening that even after everything he had done; Bastila still forgave him to some degree. He had hoped that her trust in him would return in time and he knew that he had made progress today. He just hoped that he would come to earn that forgiveness in time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Dusk** Revan will get that strong. I just didn't want him to start out that way. I want the story to be about him redeeming himself and earning his power. Also he never fell to the Dark Side so he didn't get the automatic, temporary boost of strength that one gets from falling.

Revan stared out of the window of the orbital shuttle he was in as Bastila, several other Jedi, and himself were whisked away from Dantooine to the Endar Spire. As he stared out of the window, he felt a hand gently touch his shoulder. Without turing around Revan reached out with his mind and felt Bastila's.

"_What is it Bastila?"_

"_You need to relax, your all tensed up," _replied Bastila.

"_I'm worried Bastila,"_ sighed Revan. _"I'm worried about what might happen if Alek is at Taris."_

"_He's not Alek anymore Revan…,"_ said Bastila quietly. _"He's Malak now."_

"_Just like I'm no longer Revan anymore huh? The Force…seems to want me to confront Malak, but I can't Bastila… I just can't… It's my fault he fell. How can I face my best friend knowing I caused his own self destruction? How can I face him, knowing I caused all of the anger, the madness?"_

"_Then don't kill him. Redeem him. No one is beyond redemption Revan. You caused him to fall, you can raise him back up. If you don't want to kill him then your choice is clear,"_ said Bastila.

"Bastila, we're here," said a Republic solder as Revan felt the orbital shuttle dock inside of the Endar Spire.

As Revan stepped off the orbital shuttle he looked aound at the Endar Spire, recognizing from the docking bay that the Endar Spire was a Hammerhead-class Republic ship. He started calculating the different scenarios that could happen on this mission, both logical and illogical. Satisfied with his primary calculations Revan joined Bastila and the rest of the Jedi as they walked towards a man giving orders to the rest of the Republic soldiers.

The man was clad in an orange Republic flight jacket. He brow hair came down near his right eye in two bangs while the man carried himself with the air of an experienced soldier that had seen more conflict than he had ever wanted. As Revan reached out with the Force, he felt the man's Force signature. On the surface, it was calm, hardened like steel, no doubt through the countless conflicts he had been through. Underneath it however, the man's heart had locked away a deep sadness that threatened to engulf Revan. As Revan quickly withdrew from the man, he couldn't fathom what could cause a single person so much grief.

"_He carries the sorrow of an entire planet…"_

"I'm Carth. Carth Onasi. I've been assigned to the Endar Spire mainly as an advisor for the upcoming battle. As you know we'll be scouting out the Sith forces at Taris before the actual attack," said Carth as the group of Jedi reached him.

"I'm Bastila Shan," said Bastila as she held out a hand to Carth. "It's an honor to finally meet the hero of the Mandalorian Wars."

"Please, I'm no hero. I just did what I had to," said Carth.

As the rest of the Jedi gave their introductions, Revan felt an echo reach to him over the Force. As the echo hit him, Revan staggered forwards and fell to his hands and knees, gasping as he felt the lives of billions of people wiped out in the blink of an eye. He closed his eyes as the screams of the dead echoed over the Force and threatened to overwhelm the defenses around his mind.

Alarmed at Revan's sudden collapse Bastila couldn't help but touch his mind through their bond in an attempt to find out what was wrong with the legendary Jedi. The moment their minds made contact Bastila felt the death of billions through Revan. Her eyes widened in shock as she staggered and was barely caught by the other Jedi. Carth simply stared in alarm as he watched two Jedi collapse without warning.

"Are you alright?" asked Carth as both Revan and Bastila struggled to regain their composure.

"We're… fine," said Revan as he got back onto his feet.

"Forgive me Carth, but is there a room we can talk in private?" asked Bastila.

"Of course. Follow me," said Carth still wondering about what he had witnessed.

As Carth entered his private quarters, he motioned for Bastila, Revan and the rest of the Jedi to follow him in. When they were inside he locked the door and watched in confusion as both Bastila and Revan did a sweep of the room for hidden bugs. When they were finally satisfied that they weren't being listened in upon Bastila spoke. "The reason we needed to speak in private is because of a recent development that Darius here," said Bastila as she motioned towards Revan. " – figured out."

"Does anyone else think it's weird that the Republic would send the Endar Spire out on a lone scouting mission into Sith space?" asked Revan. When neither Carth nor the other Jedi seemed to understand Revan started from the beginning. "Bastila is the Republic's ace in the hole. Her Battle Meditation is the only reason the Republic hasn't already lost the war. She pulled us back from the brink countless times. Now, she's on the Endar Spire, and it is being sent into SIth space, where we know a Sith armada is lying in wait, to _scout_." Revan watched in satisfaction as realization dawned on the faces of Carth and the rest of the Jedi.

"So there's a traitor on board," concluded Carth as Revan nodded.

"The plan Bastila and I came up with was that we wouldn't do anything to try and catch the traitor. Whoever it is, is likely high up on the command chain and a sweep of the ship wouldn't go unnoticed. So, what Bastila and I propose, is that we _let_ the attack that is coming from the SIth happen. What we do is we lock the room the Escape Pods are located in and we wait for the traitor. He or she will undoubtedly know that that an attack will be happening and will try to leave the ship before the attack happens . This way we can detain the traitor and still give Bastila ample time for her to use her Battle Meditation. We also have a couple Jedi Starfighters cloaked around the sector we are suppose to scout in case things get ugly," finished Revan.

"We catch a traitor, take minimum casualties and hopefully still manage to retake Taris," breathed Carth as he realized the complexity of Revan's plan.

"So what happens if the Sith board the ship. If they manage to get onto the ship catching a traitor won't do use much good," said Carth.

"Ah, don't worry about that. I can handle anything the Sith toss at us," said Revan with a knowing smile.

"How can you say that?" asked Carth with a hint of frustration. "What if they send Dark Jedi masters or what if Malak himself shows up?"

"This is classified information and I probably shouldn't be telling you this…" Bastila's eyes widened and Revan could sense her warning him through their bond. "But I am a former Jedi Knight. I was demoted after I returned from the Mandalorian Wars. I was one of the Generals directly under Revan during the wars. Even if Malak himself showed up, I'm confident that I could at the very least hold him off long enough for Bastila and the rest of you to escape," said Revan explaining his confidence.

"That explains your tactical knowledge as well," said Carth satisfied with Revan's answer. Meanwhile, the rest of the Jedi were looking at Revan with a mixture of newfound respect or disdain.

"Why did you and Bastila collapse earlier?" asked one of the Jedi.

"That," started Revan.

"It is a matter that we have to contact the Council about," said Bastila, effectively silencing the others. "And we must contact them at once. If you will excuse us…," said Bastila as she motioned for Revan to follow her out of the room.

"_What was that Revan? I touched your mind for a moment and I suddenly feel the agony of billions of people dying,"_ inquired Bastila through their bond.

"_The True Sith," _muttered Revan bitterly. _"When I encountered them for the first time, it caused a special type of Force Bond to develop within me. I was, am connected to their entire race. It allows me to feel the results of their actions through the Force. Needless to say, I don't enjoy the constant torment of billions of people dying and threatening to drive me insane."_

"_We need to tell the Council,"_ said Bastila.

"_I know… but, could- could you tell them by yourself? I… I need to be alone for awhile,"_ pleaded Revan.

Bastila was genuinely surprised at the rawness of Revan's voice and consented as she watched him silently walk towards his quarters. As he walked away, Bastila noted how he seemed to move as if he carried the burden of the entire galaxy on his shoulders. Then, she sadly realized that he _did_ carry the burden of the entire galaxy on his shoulders. As she turned and walked towards the direction of the communications room, she wondered how he could bare it.

"Masters," said Bastila as she bowed before the Holograms of Vandar, Dorak, Zhar, and Vrook.

"What is it Bastila?" asked Vandar. "Have you already apprehended the traitor?"

"No, this is about another matter. One that concerns Darius," said Bastila using Revan's cover.

"What about him?" asked Vrook suspiciously.

"He is bonded to the True Sith. It forces him to feel the consequences of their actions. When we arrived aboard the Endar Spire he felt the True Sith destroy an entire planet. I touched his mind for a moment and felt the screams and echos tearing through his mind. I… I don't know how he deals with it," admitted Bastila.

"Hmm… Perhaps it is us who must rethink and not him," said Zhar thoughtfully.

"To feel the deaths of billions through the Force is one thing," started Dorak.

"But to feel it constantly," continued Vrook, starting to rethink his harsh treatment of Revan.

"And to feel it by himself… It is a wonder he has kept silent for so long," said Vandar.

"Masters, what should I do?" asked Bastila gazing at the holograms of the Council.

"You are the only one who can help him Bastila," said Vandar after a moment's thought.

"You are the only one who truly understands what he is going through. Your bond with him allows you to understand the suffering he is going through more than anyone else could," said Dorak.

"But be careful. It is easy to give in to your emotions, especially after feeling such horror on such a large magnitude. You must watch him for signs of the Dark Side," cautioned Vrook.

"I understand Masters. I will contact you again if there are any further developments. May the Force be with you Masters," said Bastila with another bow.

"And with you Padawan," said Vandar as the connection was lost.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

"Damn it!" yelled Revan as he flung the table in his room against the wall.

"Why? Why?" moaned Revan as he slid down the wall of his room and sat on the floor with his head in his hands.

"How many have I killed now?" whispered Revan, tears flowing freely down his face.

Revan stared into his hands as he started to remember the vast amounts of life that he had caused to be destroyed. He remembered the first time he had felt the True Sith wipe out an entire planet. He had tried to claw through the window of The Onslaught in an attempt to commit suicide. Only Malak's quick thinking had saved him. Had felt at least a hundred worlds die since he met the Massassi in the Unknown Regions. Each time a part of died with each world.

"I can't do it… I can't stop them…," muttered Revan in agony as he stared up at the ceiling of his quarters.

"_You have to,"_ a voice in his mind spoke.

"_Bastila?"_ called Revan, tentatively. No response.

"_You have to… If you don't then the fate of our home will be the fate of everyone's homes." _Revan's eyes widend as he recognized the voice.

"_Mother?"_

"_Deralia is gone."_

Revan uttered long, feral scream that was empowered by the Force as fresh tears flowed from his eyes. His home was gone. The True Sith wouldn't have randomly attack his home world. It was over. He had nothing left. There was no point in protecting anything anymore if Deralia was gone. This was payback. Revan moaned as he staggered to his feet. With unseeing eyes he grabbed the table from earlier and started to slam it against the window of his room.

Bastila was walking towards Revan's room when she heard an echoing scream erupt through the Force. Staggering from the sheer force of the scream, she knew that every single force-sensitive in the Outer Rim would have heard it. With a sense of urgency, she hurried towards Revan's room. As she neared the door, she became aware of a repeated dull sound that sounded like metal on glass. When she opened the door she saw his room in complete disarray, Revan in a crazed state, attempting to break through the reinforced glass window with his table. Thinking quickly Bastila tried to reach Revan through their bond.

"_Revan, what are you doing?" _she practically screamed.

"_Sith… Deralia… Gone… No point…"_ was the only response she was able to get from Revan's mind.

Bastila closed her eyes as she used her Battle Meditation to try and boost Revan's morale. She used the Force to influence his mind as best she could. Finally after a few tense minutes she sensed that Revan had regained control of himself.

"_Don't give up Revan… Don't give in. You're stronger than that,"_ whispered Bastila as he shakily put the table down and moved over towards her.

"_Thank you… That's the second time you've saved my life,"_ whispered Revan in an equally low voice.

"_What happened?"_

"_They… They destroyed Deralia…"_

Bastila felt a rush of sympathy for the man in front of her. He had gone to war against the Mandalorians, giving everything up in the process only to leap into another war right afterwards. He had felt the deaths of billions if not trillions of people and other life forms because of his bond with the True Sith. He had allowed himself to be hated and cursed by the Republic in order to save it. Now, he had just had his home world ripped away from him. In those moments, Bastila didn't see Revan, the Jedi. Nor did she see Revan, her former Master. She saw Revan for who he was, a broken man who had given up everything to protect the Republic and those he cared about and had been rewarded with more pain and suffering imaginable. She suppressed the sudden urge she had to pull him close to herself and embrace him.

"It will be okay," said Bastila in a quiet voice as she guided Revan towards his bed. "You _will_ get through this… I know you will. You're stronger than this Revan. You've endured so much, but don't let their sacrifice be in vain. Who will stop the True Sith if you won't?"

Revan smiled weakly up at Bastila as he allowed her to gently guide him to sleep through the Force. Before he felt the welcoming grasp of darkness he whispered, "Thank you."

Bastila sat besides the sleep Revan as she started to think about how much of himself Revan hid. She realized that she had finally caught her first glimpse of the real Revan. The real Revan wasn't cold, calculating, cruel, or defiant. The real Revan, she realized, was incredibly kind person that had been scarred by the events of the Madalorian wars, his personal crusade against the True Sith, and his brief part in the Jedi Civil War. She knew that somehow, he was the galaxy's only hope against the True Sith. While other Masters like Master Vandar might have a stronger connection the Force, Revan was the only who could stand against the True Sith, win, and survive.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

When Revan opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a sleeping Bastila sitting next to his bed. Revan quietly slipped from his bed so he wouldn't wake the sleeping Jedi. As he gathered a fresh set of robes he silently entered the refresher. After he had taken a hot shower, trying to get the events of yesterday out of his mind Revan slipped on a black undershirt as he fixed the two shoulder clasps of a form fitting black jedi battle robe. He then donned a hooded grey traveling cloak and smiled as he attached his two lightsabers to his belt.

Revan opened the door of his refresher to find Bastila sitting at his now righted table looking impatiently over at him. He grinned from under his hood as he sat down opposite of her.

"Bastila, thanks for yesterday. And… I'm sorry you had to see me like that," said Revan quietly the grin on his face fading away.

"Revan, you have nothing to be sorry about. After what you've been through, I'd be more worried if you didn't break down every once in awhile," said Bastila gently.

"That's not true… I caused all of those people to die. They'd all be alive right now if I hadn't fought with the True Sith," protested Revan.

"Revan, we both know the only reason you're feeling this is because of your bond with them. If you hadn't met the True Sith, those people would still be dead, you just wouldn't have felt them die," said Bastila trying to alleviate Revan's deep feelings of guilt.

"We have now entered Sith space. Ship cloaking at 100%. Please be advised that power from non essential systems will be diverted to shields and weapons," said Carth Onasi's voice over the ships comlink.

"Wonderful," grunted Revan as he forced himself up. "If I'm right; and I usually am, we'll have to repel a Sith boarding party before the day is over."

"Why do you say that?" asked Bastila.

"Because of this," muttered Revan as he held up his comlink. When Bastila examined it, she realized that Revan had isolated the Endar Spire's communication signal and that someone aboard the ship had just transmitted their coordinates to an unknown outside source.

"We need to alert Carth and the others," said Bastila.

"You get the Jedi. I'll get Carth. Meet up at the Escape Pods," said Revan as he left the room using the Force to increase his speed.

Revan found Carth on the Bridge, managing the ships defenses and giving the pilot a tip or two every now and then. When Carth spotted Revan racing at him though, he excused himself from the pilot and motioned for them to move towards the Escape Pods.

"What is it?" asked Carth as they got out of earshot from anyone on the Bridge. Revan wordlessly passed his comlink to Carth who paled as he looked at the screen.

"This is bad," said Carth as he handed the comlink back to Revan.

"Oh yeah," said Revan as Carth stopped running for a second. When Revan turned around he saw Carth opening a weapons locker. Revan silently caught a couple grenades that Carth tossed him, stowing them at the back of his belt while Carth pulled out a couple grenades for himself and he pulled out an Echani Heavy Repeating Blaster Rifle.

"Best way to take out the Sith," said Carth with a grin at Revan's raised eyebrow.

"Let's go. We don't want to miss the fireworks," said Revan quietly.

When the two of them reached the Escape Pods they found the ship's captain, Commander Calas being restrained two Republic soldiers.

"I take it he's our man?" asked Revan. Bastila nodded.

"His comlink is all the evidence we'll need if we get out of this alive. It has him sending the coordinates of our ship to a ship called The Leviathan," said Bastila.

"Are you sure it's the Leviathan," asked Revan and Carth at the same time.

Bastila glanced at them for a moment before checking Calas' comlink again. "Yes. It's definitely The Leviathan."

Carth's Force signature grew darker and more foreboding while Revan leapt into command mode.

"Bastila I want you to find a room and start your Battle Meditation. _Now_," said Revan seriously. "I want four of you guys, I don't care which to guard Bastila's room. Lock it from the inside and don't let anyone in unless they can prove their an ally. Use the cameras to your advantage," said Revan as Bastila and four of the Jedi nodded and wordlessly left.

"Carth, I need you to take two squadrons of soldiers down to the docking bay immediately. The Leviathan will try to board us soon. You're going to have to force them towards the main entrance. Just keep them away from the secondary exits from the docking bay. Rest of you guys are with me. We'll be waiting for the Sith Carth will funnel towards us and we'll ambush them and keep them from spreading to the rest of the ship," commanded Revan.

Revan then flipped his comlink on to a secure channel before speaking into it. "Jedi Starfighters we are go for attack plan Alpha-Starsaber. I repeat we are go for attack plan Alpha-Starsaber."

Carth nodded once towards Revan before he took off, gathering as many troops as he could. The rest of the Jedi followed Revan as they made their way towards the Docking Bay entrance. He had the Jedi spread out along the walls as he stood ten feet from the door to the Docking Bay and ignited both of his lightsabers and acted as bait for any Sith that came through the door.

"This is Carth Onasi. The Sith have boarded the ship. All units proceed to the Docking Bay. Your orders are to ferry the Sith to the main Docking Bay entrance. The Jedi will take it from there," said Carth calmly over the intercom.

The Jedi tensed as they heard lasers firing off inside the Docking Bay through the door. After a few tense moments of listening to nothing but blaster fire, the Jedi heard the hiss of the durasteel door open. The Sith troops that came rushing in saw. Revan, clad in a hooded grey Jedi cloak and black Jedi battle armor with a red and yellow lightsaber ignited hesitated before charging him with their virbroswords. They could either take their chances with this Jedi or face certain death from the sheer amount of Republic troops behind them. They took their chance.

Revan crouched motionless in his unique Jar'kai stance. His yellow saber was held in a reverse grip in his right hand behind him as the saber blade rose in a slight diagonal from his right hip to his left shoulder. His red saber was held in a regular grip in his left hand in front of him, the saber blade rose in a slight diagonal from his left hip to right shoulder. As the first Sith came within striking distance Revan swung faster than even most of the Jedi could follow and decapitated the Sith with a single clean stroke from his yellow blade. As another Sith swung at him Revan blocked him without even glancing at the man, he proceeded to swing his saber around the man's vibrosword causing it to spin out of his hands and the Jedi and Sith watching simultaneously flinched as the man's own blade went through chin and ended up protruding through his skull. The Jedi watch in open amazement as Revan dispatched the entire squadron of Sith troopers without letting even one of them touch him. He silently strode forwards towards the durasteel door.

"If any Sith make it through, make sure they don't," said Revan tersely as he opened the door and leapt through.

Revan leapt into a full blown fire fight as he watched Carth Onasi leading the Republic troops and forcing the Sith to advance directly towards him. Revan grinned as he threw both his lightsabers towards the advancing Sith. They cut through them like butter. As his lightsabers flew back to his hands. Revan shouted at Carth. "Are the magnetic fields up?"

"Yes!" replied Carth shouting above the din of the battle.

"Open the gates," yelled Revan as he casually decapitated a Sith trooper. Carth looked at him as if he was insane. "Open them!" roared Revan as Carth hurriedly gave the order to open the gates. As soon as the blast gates were open Revan summoned up the Force and used it the create a wall of Force similar to the one he had created on the Command Deck of The Onslaught and pushed all of the Sith, screaming, out of the ship. As soon as the Sith were out, Carth ordered the gates to be closed. Revan breathed a sigh of relief as the soldiers cheered.

Revan hooked both of his lightsabers back onto his belt and brought his comlink up to his mouth.

"Master Vandar, are you there?"

"Ah. Young Darius, to what do I owe the pleasure?" came Vandar's voice over the comlink.

"The Sith boarding party has been repelled, please send the Jedi Starfighters and the rest of the Republic fleet to assist us in the coming space battle," said Revan quietly.

"They have already arrived. Congratulations are in order Padawan. You handled the situation most well," said Vandar.

"Thank you Master Vandar. I'll return to Dantooine as soon as I can," said Revan before he cut the communications on his comlink.

Meanwhile Carth was talking into his on comlink nodding, a small smile appearing on his face. After a couple more moments of talk Carth switched off his comlink and turned to the soldiers waiting anxiously for news.

"All sections are secure. We've done it!" yelled Carth as the Republic soldiers started cheering wildly. Revan allowed himself a small smile before he slipped back through the durasteel doors, past the Jedi and made the solitary journey back to his room.

"You shouldn't be heading back by yourself you know?" said a female voice from behind him. "You should be with them; celebrating, you're the hero."

"No, I shouldn't Bastila. I'm no hero. Not after the things, I've done… I shouldn't even be _alive_ Bas…," whispered Revan. Bastila smiled when Revan had referred to her as Bas. It was a term of endearment that he had used for her when they were younger.

"You can't keep blaming yourself for the mistakes you made in the past. If you do, they will swallow you up, and I would hate to see you get swallowed up when you don't deserve to," said Bastila quietly, now walking beside him.

"I know you mean well Bastla but… I just need some time to come to terms with what I've done alright?" asked Revan quietly.

"I understand. If you need me, you know how to find me," said Bastila in a slightly pained tone.

"Thanks Bas… I appreciate it," said Revan quietly as he continued on towards his room.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Three hours later, the combined forces of the Republic fleet and the Jedi Starfighters routed the Sith fleet orbiting Taris. Add in the fact that Bastila had decided to continue her Battle Meditation and it's surprising that there was still a Sith fleet to leave Taris.

After the battle Revan was getting quite bored from the unusually large amount of trivialities. Bastila was rewarded for her service to the Republic. Carth was getting another medal for his part in the battle. Some of the soldiers were being rewarded with one medal or the other. And he, he had be recommended for the rank of Jedi Master by every single soldier he had fought alongside and at least six of the twelve Jedi agreed with the recommendation. Revan had thoroughly enjoyed seeing the look on Master Vrook's face at the sheer number of recommendations.

Revan lazily levitated himself a good five feet off of the ground of his room as he decided to levitate everything else in his room out of sheer boredom. He decided to figure out one of the great mysteries of the universe; exactly how many ways could you combine a bed, four chairs, a table, three plasteel cylinders, a foot locker, and five metal boxes. He was so engrossed in his project he didn't even realize that Bastila had walked in on him some time ago and was content to just watch him "work" with an amused expression.

"Exactly what _are_ you trying to do?" asked Bastila after she had watched Revan for a good ten minutes. Revan slowly revolved around in mid air to turn and look at Bastila.

"Oh, hey Bastila… I was just amusing myself until the awards ceremony was over," said Revan in a dull tone. "Honestly, for the love of the Force couldn't they just say Congratulations, give the man his medal and then send him on his way?"

Bastila couldn't help but smile at his words. "Patience is a virtue. Or have you already forgotten your lessons from the enclave?" Revan glared at her.

"It's not my fault the ceremony is supposed to last FIVE hours," muttered Revan darkly.

"Have you heard?" asked Bastila as Revan continued to chuck the objects he was levitating together in different ways.

"About what?" asked Revan stifling a yawn.

"We're to be one of the cleanup crews on Taris. You, me, and Carth. We've been assigned a couple of tasks," said Bastila as she grabbed one of the chairs out of the air and sat down on it.

"What tasks?" asked Revan slightly annoyed Bastila had taken one of his chairs.

"Let's see… Sort out a gang war between the Hidden Beks and the Black Vulkars, find a sample of the Rakghoul serum that the Sith stole, rescue a wookie of all things, and finally sort out the local Exchange boss, Davik Kang. You ready to go?" asked Bastila as she looked up.

"Yeah just give me a sec," said Revan as he threw his hood over his head, obscuring his face. Bastila looked on in surprise as Revan attached some pieces of armor to his black Jedi Battle Robe.

"What is that?" asked Bastila motioning towards the pieces of armor Revan was attaching to his chest, arms, and legs.

"Oh this stuff? It's Echani. Got it from the ship's quartermaster and then I added some hardened Mandalorian steel to it as well. It'll block lasers and even stop a lightsaber long enough for me to get out of the way," said Revan as he finished attaching the armor to his battle robe.

"Are you ready? Carth's waiting at the shuttle. I swear, the man's a walking armory," said Bastila as Revan stood up.

"Yeah, let's go," said Revan with a grin.


	3. Chapter 3

Revan stepped off of the orbital shuttle onto Taris and surveyed the scene with disgust. It was exactly the same as it was years ago during the Mandalorian wars. The feelings of despair, decay, racism, hatred, evil, corruption and darkness that surrounded the planet was like a thick miasma that threatened to clog up Revan's lungs. He looked around and saw that the Upper City of Taris was still segregated.

"The Force… this whole place feels like it's decaying," said Revan as Bastila and Carth stepped out of the shuttle.

"Yes, I hear the echoes of people who have long since resigned themselves to living in these conditions. I hope that the Republic will force Taris to change some of its laws thought I doubt it will happen," Bastila said with a hint of sadness.

"So… what's first on the list?" asked Revan his tone thick with boredom.

"We have to sort out a gang war between the Hidden Beks and the Black Vulkars. Both are based in the Lower City," said Bastila as she checked her data pad.

"Wonderful," said Revan as they made for the nearest elevator.

As they were about to enter the elevator Carth tapped Bastila and Revan on the shoulder. When they turned to look at him, he motioned towards two bounty hunters who were terrorizing a man.

"Alright, let's go," said Revan with a sigh as he unhooked his lightsabers.

"Hey you're behind on your payments old man," said one of the bounty hunters.

"Davik doesn't want to wait anymore. You own him 100 credits, now pay up," said the other one.

"B- but I only have 50 credits! That should buy me some more time right?" asked the man fearfully.

"Sorry but if you can't pay up then you're going to have to come with us," said the first bounty hunter with a bloodthirsty grin.

"Davik wants to make an example out of you," said the other bounty hunter with a chuckle.

"No! Someone please help me! They're going to kill me!" said the man as he looked around.

"Shut up! No one's going to help you. Well it looks like we have some visitors," said the bounty hunter as he noticed Revan, Bastila and Carth.

"Go away if you know what's good for you," said his partner.

"How about you let him go? Then we can talk about the crimes you've committed. Let's see… Blackmail, coercion, attempted kidnapping, attempted murder. Whoa looks like you guys are going to lose your licenses," said Revan with a whistle.

The bounty hunters looked at each other before turning their blaster pistols on Revan. Revan had been expecting this and when they turned around, he had already stabbed his lightsabers through their chests.

"Well… less paperwork for me," said Revan in a cheerful voice. Bastila frowned as she saw through Revan's façade she knew that inside he had just fallen a little deeper into the pit of depression he had immersed himself in by killing two more people.

"Thank you! Thank you so much. I should probably go into hiding now. Davik's just going to send more men after me," said the man.

"How much do you owe him?" asked Revan.

'100 credits and if I don't pay him then I'm dead," said the man.

"Here, take it. Get your family off Taris. There's better places to live than here," said Revan as he tossed the man a 100 credit chip. The man thanked him as he turned and walked back towards the elevator.

As the elevator doors opened Revan, Bastila and Carth were immediately thrust into the gang war they were supposed to stop. Revan motioned for Bastila and Carth to stay back as he ignited his lightsabers. When he saw that the skirmish was in full force He raised one of his hands and put everyone in a stasis.

"Now, that we're all calm I suggest you listen to what we have to say," said Revan as Bastila and Carth stepped out of the elevator.

"By order of the Republic the three of us have been sent to mediate this 'war'," said Carth.

"Now, I want you to go back to your leaders and tell them to meet us in Javyar's Cantina. Each side is allowed to bring two guards with them. Weaponry is minimal. We'll be waiting," said Bastila as Revan canceled the Stasis field around the combatants. Each side scrambled away from the Jedi intent on following their orders.

"Javyar's Cantina then?" asked Carth as Revan and Bastila both nodded.

As they entered Javyar's Cantina, they noticed that it seemed to be the same as the cantina that was in the Upper City except that the patrons were far more violent. Revan looked around the room and saw what looked like Calo Nord sitting at the bar sipping his drink. Revan smirked as three Black Vulkars swaggered up to him.

"Should we stop them?" asked Bastila.

"If we tried they'd just try to kill us. I'd rather watch the fireworks," said Carth as he recognized the famous bounty hunter.

Within the span of three seconds, Calo Nord had dropped a flash grenade and shot each of the Vulkars through the heart.

"What'd I tell you," muttered Carth as he quickly stepped aside to let the bounty hunter out of the bar.

As the group sat down at a table to wait for the two gang leaders to arrive Revan motioned for a waitress to come over.

"Yes?" asked the waitress as she looked down at the sitting Revan.

"You have any Deralian wine?" asked Revan hopefully as Bastila winced.

"Yes I believe we just got a shipment in a couple days ago," said the waitress as she pulled out a datapad and checked the storage records.

"Yes we have twenty two bottles of Deralian wine left," said the waitress.

"I'll take them all," said Revan as he handed the waitress three 100 credit chips. "Keep the change."

"You sure like Deralian wine don't you?" asked Carth.

"It's my homeworld," said Revan as he attempted a smile and failed.

As the waitress brought Revan his twenty two bottles of Deralian wine he put most of the bottles in his pack while he popped the cork on the last bottle and poured Carth, Bastila and himself a glass of Deralian wine.

"I guarantee you will enjoy it. The taste is most exquisite," said Revan echoing his words from The Onslaught.

Bastila, Carth and Revan sipped their wine in peace while the other patrons chatted around them. Both Bastila and Revan were using the Force to sense when the leaders of the Black Vulkars and the Hidden Beks would arrive.

"They're here," said Revan and Bastila at the same time.

"It seems like one of the gangs decided to ignore our minimal weaponry rule," said Revan as he sensed the intent of the gang leader rolling off him in waves.

"Carth, blasters at the ready. Bastila, Jedi Mind Trick. I'll go in heavy with the lightsabers if it comes to it," said Revan quietly.

"Hello you must be the ones the Republic sent to mediate our 'disagreement' for lack of a better word," said a tall dark skinned man in battle armor. Upon closer inspection the man had implants in his eyes, most likely to allow him to see. "I'm Gandon Thek, leader of the Hidden Beks. This is my second in command, Zaerdra," said Gandon as he motioned to the female Twi'lek at his side.

"Darius Wolkos, Padawan of the Jedi Order," said Revan with a bow as he stood up.

"Commander Carth Onasi, advisor onboard The Endar Spire," said Carth as he stood up.

"Bastila Shan, Padawan of the Jedi Order," said Bastila as she stood up.

"I'm honored that the Republic sent two Jedi and a war hero to mediate such an insignificant dispute," said Gandon.

"Hello Gandon," said a mean faced man with short, cropped black hair.

"May I introduce Brejik, leader of the Black Vulkars," said Gandon sarcastically.

"Now that you're all here perhaps we can get down to business," said Revan not liking the way Brejik was looking at Bastila.

"Now the war is being fought for control of the Lower City correct?" asked Revan. Gandon and Brejik both nodded.

"Now what is the current situation in the war? Who is winning?" asked Revan. Both Gandon and Brejik shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"Well, no one actually. Since the start of the war, neither of us has been able to gain any foothold against the other. The Vulkars have more members but the Beks are better trained," said Gandon.

"How many have died?" asked Bastila.

"The Beks have lost forty or so people," said Gandon sadly.

"Vulkars have lost at least sixty," said Brejik as he sent a withering glare towards Gandon.

"so considering what you have said, the Vulkars and the Beks have lost about the same percentage of men, neither side has gained any advantage or prestiege… Don't you think it's time to call off this fight?" asked Revan.

"What?" asked Brejik in surprise.

"If you keep this up, logic dictates that both sides will inevitably be destroyed. Neither side has the manpower or resources to achieve anything other than a pyrrhic victory over the other," explained Revan.

"I see what you mean… Well Brejik I'm willing to sign a ceasefire if you will," said Gandon as he turned to look at Brejik.

"You're right… maybe it's time for the Black Vulkars and the Hidden Beks to come to an agreement," sighed Brejik. Then Brejik grinned as he pulled out a thermal detonator and a blaster pistol. "Then again I could kill you right now and the Hidden Beks would fall apart. Vulkars to me!" roared Brejik as ten Black Vulkars stormed through the door of Javyar's Cantina.

"Can't say I didn't expect this," said Revan casually as he ignited his lightsabers and threw them at the Black Vulkars that had entered. The two spinning blades of death quickly made short work of the hostile gang members.

"Carth, Bastila I'll leave Brejik to you. I'm going to go check and see if there're any more Vulkars outside," said Revan as his lightsabers returned to his hands. He nodded to Bastila before walking out of the cantina. The screams could be heard even through the durasteel doors of the cantina. Brejik turned white as Bastila ignited her lightsaber and Carth cocked his Echani Heavy Repeating Blaster Rifle.

"Drop your blaster and deactivate the thermal detonator if you value your life," said Bastila. Brejik quickly handed his blaster pistol to Carh and deactivated the thermal detonator in his hands as Carth slapped a neural disruptor on Brejik's neck.

"Well Gandon, I think the Hidden Bek's can take it from here," said Revan as he walked back into the cantina.

"Yes. While the negotiations didn't go as planned I am glad this war is over. Thank you for your help and if you need anything just call," said Gandon as he and Zaerdra left the cantina.

"Well that's one thing off the list," said Bastila as they sat back down to finish their wine.

"Excuse me," said a blue Twi'lek teenager as she stopped by their table.

"Yes?" asked Revan kindly.

"I couldn't help but notice, did you say your names were Bastila, Carth, and Darius?" asked the Twi'lek. The three nodded.

"I sent in a formal request to the Republic Embassy for a team to help rescue my friend from Gamorrean slavers," said the Twi'lek.

"Whose your friend?" asked Bastila.

"A Wookie named Zaalbar," said the Twi'lek. Carth, Bastila and Revan looked at each other.

"Of course he is," said Revan with a sigh. "Alright let's go. What's your name?"

"Mission. Mission Vao," said the girl with a smile.

"Where's Zaalbar?" asked Bastila as she drained the last of her wine. Revan was right. It _was_ good.

"Somewhere in the sewers. The Gamorreans have a base there," said Mission.

"Take us there," said Revan as he stood up.

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"Carth go on ahead. There's something I need to talk to Darius about," said Bastila as she put her hand on Revan's chest and gently pushed him backwards conveying that she wanted to stop.

"Alright," said Carth as he raised his Echani Heavy Repeating Blaster Rifle and proceeded to scout out section of the Undercity they were in with Mission. They had managed to get down to the Undercity without any problems and had even gotten lucky and picked up a vial of Rakghoul serum off a Sith corpse.

"What is Bas?" asked Revan as he stopped.

"I wanted to talk to you about the Force," said Bastila.

"What about it?"

"Well when I try to sense the Force from you I can't get a clear reading. I don't feel the Light Side flowing through you but I don't feel the Dark Side either. I just feel… _something_," said Bastila trying to explain her confusion.

"It's… complicated," said Revan. Noticing the look on her face Revan continued, "Bas I'll explain back on the Endar Spire ok? It'll take some time to explain," said Revan hoping that Bastila would agree.

"Alright but I'm holding you to your word," said Bastila.

"Done," said Revan thankful that Bastila was not in the mood to argue.

"Guy's hurry up. Mission's found an entrance," said Carth from ahead.

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Revan and Bastila groaned as the last Gamorrean slaver went down. Carth and Mission couldn't help but laugh at the two Jedi drenched in Gamorrean blood. While not toxic to humans Gamorrean blood was extremely foul smelling to the human nose.

"I need a bath," moaned Bastila as she shook her head to try and get rid of the blood in her hair.

"Tell me about it. I thought lightsabers were suppose to instantly cauterize any wounds that they inflicted?" grumbled Revan.

"Well Gamorrean blood reacts to heat," said Mission remembering the fact.

"You couldn't have told us this _before_ we went charging into their base?" asked Revan.

"Sorry," said Mission as she turned purple from embarrassment.

"I just hope Zaalbar's behind this door. I do not want to have to fight anymore Gamorreans," said Revan as he turned towards the door.

"He is. I can feel it through the Force," said Bastila.

"Well, let's get that door open," said Revan as he slammed his lightsabers into the rusting doors and forced them open.

"Zaalbar!" cried Mission as she threw her arms around the Wookie standing inside the room.

Zaalbar hugged Mission as he roared in happiness. Revan smiled as he saw the two friends reunited. It wasn't much but at least one more person in the galaxy was at peace.

"_Mission, who is this?"_ asked Zaalbar in Shyriiwook.

"This guy? He's Darius. He's the one who helped me rescue you," said Mission.

"_Please give him my thanks. I had resigned myself to a life of servitude,"_ said Zaalbar.

"_No need. I speak and understand Shyriiwook,"_ said Revan in Zaalbar's native language.

"_You speak Shyriiwook? I am surprised Darius, Shyriiwook is extremely difficult to learn for non-Wookie species,"_ said Zaalbar in surprise.

"_I pick up languages quickly. It's a skill. Now let's get out of here. I don't want to see another Gamorrean in my life," _said Revan as he turned and moved for the door.

"For once, I agree with you," muttered Bastila as she violently waved her hand in the air sending Gamorrean blood everywhere. "Master Lamar is going to kill me for getting my lightsaber this dirty."

"Ah good old Lamar. I remember him when he still had hair," said Revan thoughtfully. "It was before he took me as a Padawan." Bastila tried to look cross but couldn't help but laugh at the very thought. Revan grinned.

"Guys we still have to take down Davik Kang," said Carth seriously.

"How do you plan to get into his estate? I know you guys are Jedi and Carth's a war hero but there's no way you could get past the defense system," said Mission.

"Don't worry. I've got it covered. If I could pull a victory out of Dxun, I can get us into Kang's estate," said Revan with a grin.

"_You_ were the one that lead us to victory on Dxun?" asked Carth in disbelief. "I still don't know how that happened. We were outnumbered ten to one _and_ they had the high ground."

"True but they were overconfident because they outnumbered us by that much. They left three openings in their formations. I just had Jedi Knights push on those openings and half of their formations collapsed. Call in an airstrike from some Jedi Starfighers and… well… you know the rest," said Revan with a shrug.

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"So how are you going to get us in there?" asked Mission. They were gathered around a table in a private room in the Upper City cantina. Mission had managed to 'obtain' a copy of the blueprints of Davik's estate.

"Alright. From the blueprints Davik's estate he's somehow managed to find Capital ship class turbo lasers and mount them onto his 'castle'. Anyways he's got all angles covered… except one. He's left his hangar unprotected," said Revan with a devilish grin.

"Darius don't tell me…," said Bastila already aware of what he was going to do.

"I'm going to distract them by going solo and assaulting the base. It will also prevent Davik by trying to escape. When the turbo lasers are occupied with trying to send me down in a blaze of glory you guys will sneak in and kill everything that shoots at you," said Revan absentmindedly.

"That isn't much of a plan Darius…," said Carth.

"Trust me, if I say I'll distract him. I'll distract him. Don't worry about me just make sure Davik dies," said Revan.

"Well, this is a nice conversation for me to overhear," said a voice from the door. Revan knew that he had been there for quite some time but had decided to let the Mandalorian stay right where he was. Besides, he had a hand trained in the direction of the Mandalorian and would have been nothing but a pile of ash the moment Revan felt the urge to kill coming from him.

"Hello Canderous," said Revan as he looked up at the Mandalorian.

"Good to see _you_ R – " said Canderous before Revan clapped a hand over his mouth.

"I'm Darius now. I'd rather not have people trying to kill me left and right," whispered Revan into Canderous' ear. Canderous shrugged and nodded.

"So you work for Davik now?" asked Revan raising his voice back to a conversational level.

"Yeah. Although I hear your planning to get rid of him," said Canderous with a lazy grin.

"Carth put that rifle down. I don't want you two trying to kill each other," said Revan as he pushed the barrel of Carth's blaster rifle down towards the ground.

"So Canderous how much is Davik paying you these days? I doubt it's what you're actually worth. If you want a real challenge you could join us," said Revan motioning to the group at the table.

"You're the only one that's ever managed to beat me Darius, I'll follow you," said Canderous as he gave Revan a half hearted salute.

"We go way back. Canderous and I fought in the Mandalorian Wars. We tried to kill each other many, _many_ times. I finally beat him in the end," said Revan at the look on Carth's face.

"And you left him alive?" asked Carth incredulously.

"He was a worthy opponent," said Revan with a shrug.

"Now, since Davik still thinks I'm his loyal Kath hound I can get you guys in. I'll say you guys are some raw talent I saw in action and that you wanted to join the Exchange. Davik will keep you in his estate while he runs background checks. During this time we'll kill him and his men. He's also got a nice little ship that we could steal," said Canderous with a grin.

"Alright we'll do this your way, but I can't wait until I get to show off," said Revan with a sigh clearly miffed that he wasn't going to be impressing anyone today.

"I can't take all of you with me though," said Canderous after thinking for a moment. "Davik would be suspicious if five highly talented individuals suddenly showed up looking for work. I can take two, three tops."

"I'm going," said Darius as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'll stay behind on this one. I don't think I'd be able to control myself if I saw Davik," said Carth honestly.

"_I doubt Davik would want a Wookie loose inside his estate,"_ said Zaalbar thoughtfully.

"And if Zaalbar's staying then I am," said Mission.

"Then it looks like it's Bastila, Canderous and myself," said Revan.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go," said Canderous in a gruff tone.

"We'll wait for you here," said Carth. "Good luck."

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"Hello Canderous. What's this? You've brought some friends over," said Davik in surprise as he looked at Revan and Bastila in surprise.

"It's not like you to take on partners Canderous. You're getting soft," said Calo Nord with a smirk.

"Watch yourself Calo. You may be Davik's favorite but that doesn't mean your top dog yet," growled Canderous.

"Now now, I don't my two top men killing each other. It's not good for business," said Davik.

"I saw these two in a fight. Their Jedi Hunters. The Exchange could use people with their skills," said Canderous.

"A recommendation from Canderous is rare. This is the first time he's done it. If he say's your good then I know you're good. With a background check and Canderous' recommendation, you could become part of the Exchange. It's an honor some would kill for," said Davik with small smile.

"Nothing would please me more," said Revan in geninue tone. Bastila had to admit that even she was taken aback at how genuine Revan seemed.

"Good. Now Calo and I have some business to attend too. I trust that Canderous will be able to give you a tour of my humble abode. Come Calo," said Davik as he and Calo left the room.

"That's it. Canderous, Bastila stay out of my way. If you don't I can't promise I won't kill you," whispered Revan in a tone that made Bastila's eyes widen in fear.

"What's wrong?" asked Bastila.

"What do you think I was doing while Davik was talking? I was looking into his mind. He doesn't deserve to live Bastila. None of them fucking do! He's as bad, no, he's _worse_ than Malak. Malak at least had a purpose no matter how twisted. This… this _monster_ burned down cities because he was bored!" roared Revan as he slammed a Force-infused fist into a door, shattering it. Revan's lightsabers ignited with a hiss as he walked through.

"It's been awhile since I've seen Revan like this," said Canderous, a hungry gleam in his eye.

"What do you mean?" asked Bastila suddenly afraid of the answer.

"The Mandalorians had a nickname for Revan during the Mandalorian Wars. To us he was known as 'The Army of One'. We are about to see why," said Canderous with a chuckle.

"After Cathar, Revan never lead troops against us until the end of the Mandalorian Wars. When he fought, it was always by himself. On Dxun he slaughtered at least four hundred of us by himself. On Ossus, it was eight hundred. On Malachor V he killed every person onboard Mandalore's flagship," said Canderous the smile fading from his face.

"But that means…," breathed Bastila in horror as she realized how many people must have been on Mandalore's flapship.

"1,246 men including Mandalore. I was one of the crew assigned to try and search for survivors. He painted the ship red. He didn't leave a single wall, floor, or room unpainted. I don't even want to think about his conscience," muttered Canderous.

At this point, Revan walked back into the room. Bastila nearly collapsed in shock as she saw Revan. He was covered from head to toe in blood. His grey outer robe was stained blood red and his black battle armor had turned maroon. His hair was matted down with the liquid and his face was painted with it. As she saw the emptiness in his eyes amidst the blood red of his face Bastila could honestly say she had never been more afraid in her entire life.

"I'll meet you guys at the hangar," said Revan in an emotionless tone as he walked past Bastila and Canderous a trail of blood dripping off of him.

Bastila looked into the hallway that Revan had been in. It seemed exactly like what had happened aboard Mandalore's flagship. The entire corridor was painted in blood. Bodies littered the entire hallway. Bastila felt her lunch try to escape as she realized that some of the bodies weren't even complete, they had been ripped to shreds. Worse, other didn't even look like bodies, they looked like piles of flesh that had been drained of their blood. Bastila realized with horror and revulsion that Revan had used the Force to cause all of their blood to burst out of their bodies at once.

"Don't look anymore," cautioned Canderous. "I had nightmares for months."

As the Ebon Hawk rose and flew out of Davik Kang's hangar Bastila gazed out of the window as her mind wandered. She couldn't understand who Revan had become. One on hand he seemed genuinely sorry for everything that had happened. Then there was his display at Davik's estate. Bastila had seen what Revan had done to these men. He hadn't killed them, he _butchered_ them.

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Revan, Canderous and Bastila had stopped to pick up Carth, Mission and Zaalbar from the Upper City cantina. Needless to say Revan had stayed on the ship, in his room. They had made a short stop at the Endar Spire to pick up Revan, Bastila and Carth's gear before heading towards Dantooine to inform the Council of their success and pick up their next mission.

Revan felt the ice cold water wash away the blood on him. In a way, it felt like a cleansing ritual. The ice cold water washed away his blood as the unbearable pain and agony of taking so many more lives tore at his soul. He cursed himself for losign control back at Davik's estate. He had hoped Bastila would have never seen that side of him. Each time the Dark Side rose up within him, he smashed it down. It would not do to have come this far only to fall. After all, the Dark Side was only one of the infinite aspects of the Force.

"Bas… You asked about what you felt from back on Taris," said Revan as he entered her room on the Ebon Hawk.

"Yes, although after seeing what happened to Davik, I'm not sure I want to know," said Bastila unable to keep the fear out of her voice.

"Let me explain. Let me explain before you make your judgement. _Please_," said Revan, the last word a tortured whisper.

"Then tell me. Why can't I feel the Light Side or the Dark Side of the Force from you?" asked Bastila.

"You can," said Revan.

"What?" asked Bastila clearly annoyed that Revan wasn't giving her a clear answer.

"The Light does flow within me. So does does the Dark. The reason you can't sense either one from me is because the other aspects of the Force flow within me as well," said Revan.

"What?" asked Bastila in confusion.

"Tell me Bas what do you get when you shine light through a crystal?" asked Revan.

"You get a spectrum of light. But what does this have to do with the Force?" asked Bastila.

"Patience, you'll understand in a minute. So when you add together the full spectrum of light the result is colorless and see through correct?" asked Revan. Bastila merely nodded. "But what happens if even a single color of the spectrum is taken out?"

"Then the result would change and it would no longer be colorless or see through," said Bastila.

"Correct. Now think of the Force as the light. The crystal as Force-users. Normally the light shines through uninhibited. The result is the full spectrum of colors. Now if the crystal is changed so that only a specific wavelength of light is able to shine through, the rest of the colors are filtered out," said Revan.

"So then the Jedi and Sith codes are changes to the crystal?" asked Bastila.

"Correct," said Revan glad to see she was catching on.

"But that would mean…," said Bastila as she realized what Revan was saying.

"The Jedi and the Sith are both inherently flawed. The Light and Dark Sides are merely small parts of a greater whole," said Revan seriously.

"Even if you're right wouldn't specializing in only the Light or Dark Side make you stronger instead of trying to master all of the different aspects of the Force?" asked Bastila.

"No," said Revan. Catching the look of disbelief and suspicion on her face he continued. "No, seriously It wouldn't. Think about it this way, if you studied Soresu and _only_ Soresu what would you do if you met an Ataru expert? You'd die. Similarly while Jedi are masters of the Light Side and Sith are Masters of the Dark Side they do not achieve their full potential," explained Revan.

"But how is it possible to master all the aspects of the Force if its aspects are infinite?" asked Bastila.

"It's not. That would be impossible. Think about the light shining through the crystal analogy. The spectrum of color are only parts of a greater _whole_. It would be impossible to try and master the infinite aspects of the Force however if you realize that the Light and Dark sides are only small parts of the bigger picture and you start to see that picture; then and only then, can you start to master the Force. The _true _Force. Master the true Force and you master it's aspects," said Revan.

"When did you figure this out?" asked Bastila.

"After I returned and started my war against the Republic. That's why you can't sense the Light or the Dark within me. I've also been suppressing most of my Force aura. It would not do to draw the True Sith to us now like moths to a flame," said Revan.

"So you lied about you midi-chlorian count?" asked Bastila.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I had to persuade the Council about the dangers of the True Sith and it would not do if they knew my actual mid-chlorian count," said Revan.

"What is it?"

"That is something I'll tell you in another discussion. Right now, it's late. The others are probably sleeping and we'll both need the rest once we reach Dantooine tomorrow," said Revan as he moved towards the door.

"Revan?" came Bastila's voice from behind him.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for talking to me. If…. If you need someone to talk to, I'll always be around," said Bastila as she gave him a hug from behind before he stepped out of her room.

"No Bas… thank _you_ for not hating me," whispered Revan as he walked back to his own room with a small smile on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

"_We find it so hard not to believe in something greater than ourselves because; by nature, human beings want to believe in something greater than ourselves. However, we must only stop and look at our friends and loved ones to realize that they are something greater than ourselves," – _James Chang

Revan swore. Ever since he had returned to Dantooine, he had been confined to the small room he was given. Of course he could have gotten out if he wanted to but then his cover would have been blown. The entire Council had combined their abilities to seal the door. Revan shook his head sadly. The entire Council had sealed his door and _this_ was all they could do? The True Sith would have _slaughtered_ them.

"Darius? Can I come in?" asked a voice from outside the door.

"Sure, come on in. It's only sealed for me," said Revan in a dull tone.

"Do you want to talk?" asked Bastila as the door closed behind her.

"About what? That half the Council doesn't trust me? That Vandar and Zhar were overruled by the Council on Coruscant? That I'm now a _fucking_ traitor?" muttered Revan bitterly.

"I'm sorry Revan. I thought the Council would have been wiser after I told them about your theory of the Force," said Bastila quietly as she sat down next to Revan on the bed.

"s'alright. I don't blame you. Vandar and Zhar did everything they could. I heard that Vash, Kavar and Ell tried to stop the rest of the council but were overruled," said Revan as he closed his eyes and sighed.

"I know you could leave if you wanted. So why are you still here? What's keeping you here?" asked Bastila.

Revan's eyes flew open in surprise. What could he say? That it was because he felt compelled to make up years of hell for her because of his stupidity? Was it because of some arrogant sense of self-righteousness? Was it because he was selfish?

"This is something I need to do. Something I _must_ do. I planned to at least get the Republic in a half decent shape before the True Sith arrived. Unfortunately, I fucked that up myself when I was stupid enough to believe that the Sith Empire would fall apart without me. The Force was right. Malak has to be stopped. I owe him too much to just leave him in the Dark," said Revan.

Bastila's eyes fell as she listened to Revan's little speech. Of course, it had to do with saving the galaxy. Of course, it had to do with making up for all of the things he had done. What on earth made her think that he was staying because he actually cared about her?

"And then there's you," said Revan in a whisper.

"What?" asked Bastila.

"You remember what I promised you when we were both apprentices? I'm not going to break it again," said Revan seriously.

"Thank you," said Bastila as she left the room.

Revan sighed as he buried his face in a pillow. Why? Why did he pick now to start digging up the emotions he'd spent years suppressing. IT had been so much easier as the Dark Lord of the Sith to simply ignore his feelings and tell himself that it was for the greater good.

"Everything was so much easier when I wasn't human," grumbled Revan as he turned to stare up at his ceiling.

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"What? You want me to _what_?" asked Bastila in a hollow voice.

"You heard me. Revan cannot be allowed to live after what you told us. I know now that he's a threat to the Order. He must be stopped. When he betrays the Order, and he will, you must be willing to kill him," said Vrook.

"But how do you know that he would betray the Order?" asked Bastila.

"Ask him yourself. He'll tell you everything that you need to know. When the time comes Bastila will you stand with us as a Jedi or with him as a traitor?" asked Vrook before he walked away.

Bastila crumpled to the ground as she heard Vrook's fading footsteps. What was she supposed to do? If she told Revan what Vrook had said no doubt Revan would murder the man. If she didn't she'd betray his trust. She had gone through to much to earn that just to let it disappear. What was she supposed to do? Betray Revan? The person that saved her from herself? Or betray the Order that had given her everything. Bastila did the one thing she hadn't done in years. She cried.

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"Something's not right," said Carth as he paced around the main room of the Ebon Hawk.

"What do you mean?" asked Mission.

"Darius gets back from completing this mission perfectly and then he gets confined to his room for days," said Carth.

"So you think they're hiding something from us?" asked Canderous, knowing full well that Carth was getting dangerously close to taking matters into his own hands.

"I know they are. I want to ask Darius what it is. Bastila's been avoiding everyone for the past day so Darius is the only one I'm going to get any answers from. You guys coming?" asked Carth as he walked towards the exit ramp.

"Sure," said Mission and Canderous. Zaalbar nodded.

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"Darius? It's Carth, can we come in?"

"Go ahead, the door's open," said Revan as he opened his eyes.

"Darius, we need to talk," said Carth as he, Mission, Canderous, and Zaalbar entered. Revan raised his eyebrows but motioned for Carth talk. "Why have you been confined to your room? This doesn't make any sense. You're ridiculously powerful for a Jedi, you've supposedly fought impossible odds in the Mandalorian Wars and now the Council has confined you to your room. What's up?"

"I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you," said Revan.

"This is no time for jokes Darius," said Carth in a frustrated voice.

"I'm serious Carth. If I told you, you'd try to kill me and then I'd have to kill you. I like you Carth and I'd really suck if I had to kill you," said Revan seriously.

"He's telling the truth Carth. I know it because I was a part of it. You don't want to know," said Canderous.

"Just tell me Darius. I can handle it. I'm used to surprises," said Carth as he crossed his arms.

"Alright but don't say I didn't warn you," said Revan as he made sure that no one was listening in. "You know how Bastila was part of the Jedi team sent to capture Revan?" Carth nodded. "You know how Revan died?" Carth nodded again. "The truth is… Revan never died."

"No…," breathed Carth.

"Yes. Bastila saved his life back on The Onslaught. It's because of her that I'm sitting here right now," said Revan as the horror of the situation sunk in. Shock and fear was written all over Mission's face. Zaalbar was moving the stunned Twi'lek behind him. Carth had reached for his blasters before Canderous had restrained him.

"Easy Carth! Don't do anything you'll regret because if you draw those blasters I promise you Revan will kill you before you know it," grunted Canderous.

"How can you say that Canderous? This guy killed you people _and _my people! He deserves to die," said Carth as he stared daggers at Revan.

"He defeated us. Pure and simple. The Mandalorians don't hold grudges. We lost to a superior opponent.," said Canderous as he continued to restrain Carth.

"I am sorry Carth, but that doesn't mean anything to you does it? You don't care, you just want me dead," said Revan sadly.

"Who wouldn't?" spat Carth.

"Me," said Bastila from the doorway. "You don't know the full story Carth. You shouldn't judge him until then."

"Why should I? He's the Dark Lord of the Sith!"

"I'm not. Let me explain…," said Revan before he spoke about the Mandalorian Wars, The Jedi Civil War, and the True Sith.

"So let me get this straight. There are thousands of warships each containing hundreds if not thousands of True Sith, each with the power of a Jedi Knight?" asked Carth.

"Yeah, that's about right," said Revan bitterly.

"How did you fight them? How is it that you of all people is the only one that can fight these True Sith," asked Carth in anger.

Revan gave a short laugh. "It's because of my mastery over the Force."

"But that doesn't make any sense. Sure you're powerful but shouldn't masters like Vandar, Sunstrider, Vash or Kavar be able to do more?" asked Carth.

"I'm not talking about the Light Side Carth. I'm talking about the _Force_. I'm talking about the whole package," said Revan.

"So what makes you special?" pressed Carth.

"I'm damned," said Revan simply.

"What do you mean?" asked Bastila, the all too familiar fear gripping her again.

"It's true I've mastered the Force but everything comes with a price. The price for mastering the Light or Dark Sides of the Forces is a lifetime of training. The price for master _the_ Force is much, much heavier," said Revan.

"What is it?" asked Bastila.

"When I die, I will not become one with the Force. I will wander forever simply existing. Unable to become one with the Force, unable to communicate with anyone else and unable to interact with anyone else," said Revan in an emotionless tone. Carth looked at him in utter disbelief. He was no Jedi but even he knew what it meant to the Jedi to become one with the Force. Revan was sacrificing his _soul_ to have a _chance_ to stop the True Sith, and he didn't even know if he could do it.

"Why?" asked Bastila in a breathless whisper.

"Why? Because, someone has to bear the burden?" said Revan with a small smile.

"What's the chance that you'll actually be able to beat their leader?" asked Canderous.

"Honestly, less than 1%. Now if you would excuse me, I need to get some rest," said Revan clearly indicating he wanted to be alone.

Bastila, Zaalbar, Carth, Mission and Canderous slowly filed out of the room all of them deep in their thoughts. Canderous had to hand it to Revan he had thought his respect for the guy couldn't rise any higher and now he had learned that the man he admired the most had literally sacrificed his soul for the chance to save a Republic that didn't deserve him. Crank that respect dial up a couple hundred notches. Mission was still trying to come to terms with the fact that the Dark Lord of the Sith was not evil while Zaalbar was contemplating what he had just heard. Carth stumbled out of the room in a daze. How could Revan be so willing to sacrifice something that important? Bastila watched as Carth, Mission, Zaalbar, and Canderous walked around the corner and towards the Ebon Hawk. She made sure that no one was within earshot before she closed her eyes and wished that Revan wasn't so selfless.

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"What do you think Zaalbar?" asked Mission as they were climbing the ramp up towards the Ebon Hawk.

"_I.. I respect Revan. He has more honor than anyone I've ever met. He is… a better person than I could ever be,"_ said Zaalbar with a low rumble.

"Your right. He's… not what I was expecting from Revan," said Mission.

"No kidding. I don't know why he did it. If you ask me the Republic's not worth saving but that guy is something else," said Canderous in a gruff voice from behind them.

"I don't know what to think… I'm going to bed," said Carth, his voice floating back to them from inside the ship.

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"Revan's theory is intriguing indeed," agreed Vandar as he, Zhar, Dorak, and Vrook were talking with each other.

"How can you say that? It's obviously just an elaborate trap to lure Jedi over to the Dark Side," said Vrook.

"I doubt it my friend,"said Zhar as he looked up. "If you take the time to think about his philosophy it is as complete if not more complete than the Sith and Jedi Codes."

"Surely you must have sensed it within him?" asked Dorak as the others nodded.

"I cannot feel the Light or the Dark flowing inside him. The energy seems to be merely… energy," said Zhar trying to describe what he felt.

"He is suppressing his power," said Vandar at last. "He is skilled but I can tell that he has far more strength than he is letting on."

"Surely you don't believe the boy's theory?" asked Vrook in amazement.

"We cannot dismiss the possibility that he is correct, the possibility that we have been wrong all along," said Vandar quietly.

"I can't belive this," said Vrook shaking his head in shock. "I cannot believe that of all people _you_, Master Vandar is going to let this boy shake your faith in the Light."

"Bring him here. Then you will see that he has not fallen," said Zhar seriously.

"I believe that is how we will learn the truth of the matter. Let's us fetch him," said Vandar as he moved towards the door followed by Dorak and Zhar. A shocked Vrook merely stood in the empty Council chamber.

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"Revan?" asked Vandar as he and the other Masters undid the seal on his door.

"What is it Vandar?" asked Revan. Zhar winced. Revan had returned to his old habit of disrespect, not a good sign.

"We wish to talk to you," said Vandar gently.

"Fine," said Revan in a cold tone as he stood up and walked past the Masters towards the Council room.

"This isn't going to be easy," sighed Zhar as he shook his head and followed his former pupil

"I don't really blame him old friend," muttered Vandar as he had Dorak also followed.

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"So, what are we talking about?" asked Revan as hhe glared at the four Jedi Masters.

"The Force," said Vrook through gritted teeth.

"What a surprise," muttered Revan rolling his eyes. The sarcasm was heavy in his voice.

"What Master Vrook meant was he has a hard time grasping your theory of the Force," said Vandar trying to ease the tension in the room.

"I can show you," admitted Revan. "But the sudden spike in the Force would alert every single Force-sensitive to my location within the entire galaxy. Not to mention that the shock would probably kill off the Padawan here. I can't really control my power, that's why I keep it suppressed."

"How much can you show us without it being a danger?" asked Vrook impatiently.

"I can show you enough to convince you," said Revan.

"You don't have to if you don't want to my old friend. This is entirely your choice," said Zhar kindly.

"Thank you Zhar, and thank you for thinking of me as a friend even after all that has happened, but I must do this," said Revan as he closed his eyes.

Revan lowered his head as he let himself go. He felt his surroundings vanish as he immersed himself in the lyric flow of the Force. Even after doing it so many times before it was still one of the most incredible feelings he had ever felt. He left the Force flow through every inch of his body as he felt it whispering to him within his mind. As Revan raised his head a smile unconsciously spread over his face, it wasn't the fake smile he used to mask his feeling so often, it was a real, genuine smile. One that he rarely showed. As his eyes continued to stare into the darkness that was his eyelids Revan slowly floated off of the ground as the Force spread from his body, he could feel it as it enveloped Vandar, Vrook, Dorak and Zhar. Smiling widely he felt it push past them and continue to envelope everything in its path. He felt Mission, Zaalbar, Canderous and Carth. He continued to reach out, he felt himself immersing more and more people until he finally found the one person he was looking for.

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Bastila sighed as she closed her eyes and felt the wind gently blow past her. She opened them again as she sat on top of the hill that she and Revan had visited so many times when they were only children. She watched the golden rays of the sun slowly fade away as she remembered how much simpler life had been when they were little. A smile graced her features as she felt the memories of the past overwhelm her.

"_So why did you want to become a Jedi Revan?" asked an eight year old Bastila._

"_I think… I think it's because of my heart," Revan finally said as he lightly tapped a closed fist to his heart._

"_What do you mean?" pressed Bastila as the warm rays of the sun started to fade._

"_I don't think good or evil really matters. I don't really care about the Light or the Dark Side of the Force either.I just know I want to protect what I think is precious," said Revan as he turned to look at Bastila. His kind emerald orbs staring into her soft blue grey ones._

"_What's precious to you?" asked Bastila as she hugged her knees to her chest._

"_Innocence. I believe that the most important think in this world is innocence. People already have so much to worry about but they worry about everything except what's most important to them, and that's their innocence. You take away a person's wealth or status and their still that same human being. You take away their innocence however, and you irreversibly change them. Part of their soul dies. That's why I innocence is the most important thing to me," said Revan._

"_For a ten year old you sure sound like one of the Masters," said Bastila with a grin._

"_Let's go, it's getting late," said Revan with a smile as he held out his hand to her._

Bastila opened her eyes as she realized that tears had started to fall from her eyes. She stood up as she wiped her eyes with the back of her palms. It was the _second_ time she had cried in years. As she stood up she felt a warm, gentle wave of energy engulf her, staving off the numbness she was starting to feel from the wind. Only one person had Force energy this comfortable. _Revan._ She could almost see him smiling at her before the feeling was gone. Bastila allowed herself a small smile before she started back towards the Enclave.

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"Do you believe me now?" asked Revan as he opened his eyes. Revan could tell that the four Masters were still stunned from the amount of power he had displayed. While he was slightly please at Vrook's expression he still didn't enjoy the fact that he had to resort to showing what he could do to get it. In his mind, a victory that didn't involve displaying power was infinitely more valuable than a victory gained from displaying power.

"That was…," started Dorak before his voice died in his throat.

"I'm sorry, that was more than I meant to show. As I said I don't have as much control as I would like," apologized Revan.

"Revan, tell me how close was that compared to the leader of the True Sith?" asked Vandar abandoning all pretenses of formality.

"Not even close." Revan's answer brought Vandar's world crashing down around him. What Revan had displayed as was the without a doubt the greatest mastery of the Force since the beginning of the Jedi Order and it was still dwarfed by the leader of the mysterious True Sith.

"I saw through a vision what that bastard could do," said Revan bitterly. "Have you ever heard of the Fideus System?" The Masters shook their heads. "Well you aren't going to. The leader of the True Sith felt the need to _exercise_ his power."

"What happened?" asked Dorak, afraid of the answer.

"He used the Force… He-he cause the star of the system to go supernova," said Revan silently. Zhar could have sworn Vrook's eyes were about to pop out of his skull. "The entire system was gone within minutes. What's even worse was that the leader of the True Sith was able to create a barrier around all of the Sith ships that was strong enough to withstand the supernova."

"How much power do you think he would have need to accomplish something like that?" asked Vandar finally.

"Your guess is as good as mine, but I'd say probably around seven times what I showed just now," said Revan seriously.

"What was the price?" asked Zhar suddenly. A horrible realization flooding thorugh him.

"What?" asked Revan in confusion.

"'All things have a price'," said Zhar as he quoted Revan from his younger days. "What was the price for your mastery of the Force?"

"This is the second time I've been asked that today," said Revan with a sad smile and a pained voice.

"What is the price Revan?" asked Zhar knowing from Revan's pained expression that he did not want to know the answer.

"The price? Everything… and nothing," said Revan as he forced a smile onto his face even though his heart was being torn to shreds.

"What. Is. It," repeated Zhar forcefully.

'When I die… I can't become one with the Force," said Revan as he closed his eyes and looked away.

"What is wrong with you? You're promising yourself eternal damnation in return for some power? I expected better of a Jedi," said Vrook.

"Vrook…," said Zhar slowly.

"I didn't do it for the power. I did it so I could protect the Republic. If I didn't do this than the Republic had no chance. Now, it has a sliver of a chance," said Revan seriously.

"But why? Why would you do something like this? Does your soul mean nothing to you? Do _you_ mean nothing to yourself?" asked Vandar.

"One eternity in agony is a small price to pay if there is even a chance in saving trillions of lives," said Revan as he glared at each of the Masters. "But _Master_ Vrook is right. My actions aren't the actions of a Jedi."

"Please don't do this Revan," said Zhar realizing what his pupil was about to do.

"I'm… I'm sorry Master Zhar. I truly am. But this is for the best. I; Revan hereby resign my rank of Padawan from the Jedi Order. From this moment forth I am no longer a Jedi. This is goodbye. Master Dorak thank you for your guidance all these years. Your knowledge has been most welcome. Master Vandar, thank you for taking the time to come all the way out to Deralia when no one else would. Master Vrook, I may not like you much but you taught me much about the Force. Thank you. Master Zhar… thank you for listening to me when no one else would. It has been an adventure. Farewell," said Revan as he turned and walked out of the Council room, grey outer cloak billowing out around him.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

"What are you doing?" Revan looked up to see Bastila standing in the doorway of his former room on Dantooine.

"Packing," said Revan before he returned to throwing his clothes into a duffle bag.

"Why?" asked Bastila softly as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm leaving. I just resigned my position in the Jedi Order. I have no reason to stay. I'm sorry but this is for the best," said Revan.

"So you're just going to leave again? Like you did six years ago? Is that how it is?" asked Bastila her voice cracking slightly.

"I…," started Revan before his voice died.

"Don't you care what I think? Don't you care about what _I_ want?" asked Bastila the pain obvious in her voice.

"I do, I just assumed…," said Revan weakly.

"You assumed I wanted to stay didn't you? You assumed I wanted to stay then and now," said Bastila as she glared at Revan.

"I…," Revan said as he quickly backed up. With a loud thump he realized that he had backed up into the wall of his room. _Uh oh._

"You never let me make decisions for myself! Not when we were kids, not six years ago, not now! Stop trying to control my life and let me do it!" hissed Bastila in fury as he grabbed Revan by his neck and slid him up the wall until his feet were a couple inches from the ground.

"Bas…," croaked Revan as he tried to pry Bastila's fingers from his neck in vain.

"What?" asked Bastila tightening her grip around his neck.

"Bas… I'm choaking…," gasped Revan as his face started to turn blue.

"Say it. Say you'll let me make my own choices from now on Revan or I swear I will kill you," said Bastila as she narrowed his eyes.

Revan gulped as he realized that she wasn't letting go of his throat anytime soon. Revan knew when he was beat. Know ing that he was seriously whipped he sang like a bird. "Okay, okay you can make you own decisions from now on. I won't get in the way. I swear. Just please, please don't ripe my throat out, I still need it to breath," said Revan as he looked at her in fear.

"Good boy," said Bastila with a satisfied grin as she let go of his neck and fell to the ground.

Revan whimpered as Bastila walked out of the room. Revan didn't know how long it was before he could manage to pull himself off the ground and actually continue packing. Revan had no idea what had caused Bastila to go utterly insane and try to kill him but he knew for sure that he was never, ever in his life going to try and piss her off. Again.

As Revan walked out of the dormitory section of the Enclave he saw Zhar waiting for him. As they neared each other Zhar stepped forwards and pulled Revan into a hug.

"I'm going to miss you old friend," said Zhar as he pulled back, a sad smile danced upon the Twi'lek's face.

"So am I. And I'm even sorrier that we will probably never see each other again," said Revan.

"Oh and if you're wondering how Bastila got so scary, being with Master Vrook for six years does things to people," said Zhar with a smile as Revan was halfway to the Ebon Hawk. Revan just shivered as he heard Zhar mention 'Bastila' amd 'scary' in the same sentence.

"Hey Revan," said Mission brightly as he stepped up the boarding ramp of the Ebon Hawk.

"Hey Mission. I think it's time we left," said Revan as his eyes burned with determination.

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"Just like six years ago right Master Vandar?" asked Zhar as the two friends stood and watched the thrusters of the Ebon Hawk powering up.

"Physically yes, but I am glad that this time he has a purpose, and that he now has friends that he trusts his life with. I am confident that he will find someone to confide in. That will make all the difference," said Vandar as he smiled.

"He's finally a man now eh?" said Zhar with a proud smile.

"He has found something worth protecting. That; more than anything else, makes a Jedi," said Vandar as he turned and walked away leaving Zhar to watch the Ebon Hawk rise off the ground before hurtling into the atmosphere.

"Good bye my friend," said Zhar as he watched the speck in the sky disappear.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

"Alright, now that we're in space, mind telling us why we had to get out so fast?" asked Carth as he turned around to look at the man standing in the cockpit with his arms crossed.

"I resigned my position within the Jedi Order. I'm not a Jedi anymore," said Revan with a shrug.

"WHAT?" Carth and Mission practically screamed. Revan winced as thought he felt he eardrum burst. Mission had been trying to sneak up behind him when he had told Carth the news.

"Can you be any louder?" grumbled Revan as he massaged his ears.

"Stop being such a baby Revan," came a voice from behind him that froze him with fear.

"Bastila?" asked Revan as he slowly turned around.

"Of course," said Bastila as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Okay will someone _please_ tell me what's going on here?" asked Revan as he looked at the crew of the Ebon Hawk.

"Didn't Bastila explain?" came another voice from behind him. Revan whirled around to see Juhani standing in the main room of the Ebon Hawk.

"What is going on?" Revan screamed in confusion.

"Is he alright?" asked Carth.

"Oh he's fine, I just kept him out of the loop," said Bastila

"I think you better explain he looks like he's about to pitch a fit," said Mission with a giggle.

"I will," said Bastila as she grabbed Revan by the hood of his outer cloak. "Come on Revan we're going to have a little chat." Revan's eyes widened in fear. Not again.

"_Save me!" _he mouthed to Carth who just chuckled.

"_Sorry. I'm not suicidal,"_ mouthed Carth right back at him.

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"So you want to explain what this is about?" asked Revan when Bastila had dragged him into his room on the Ebon Hawk and shut the door.

"We're going to help you Revan. We aren't going to let you do this alone," said Bastila as she looked into Revan's eyes.

"Why? I know it's your decision, but… why? All of you could have gone on to live peaceful lives. What about your innocence?" asked Revan.

"Revan,. You know you're the textbook definition of a Saint right? What kind of people would we be if we didn't help you. Mission, Zaalbar, Canderous, Carth, Juhani and myself, we all have abilities that others don't. With the power we have comes the responsibility to use it," explained Bastila as Revan took a seat on his bunk.

"I'm not going to dissuade you guys am I?" asked Revan with a sigh.

"Not a chance," said Bastila with a smile.

"But that doesn't explain how you and Juhani were allowed to leave Dantooine," said Revan.

"Master Vandar and Master Zhar gave us clearance. You should have seen the look on Vrook's face," said Bastila with a laugh.

"Well, I guess I better tell Carth where we're headed to," said Revan as he stood up.

"You might want to lock your door when you sleep. I'm not sure if Carth's decided to forgive you or kill you," said Bastila as she called after him.

"I know that," said Revan as he turned to grin at her before making his way back to the cockpit.

"You're still alive? Man I thought we'd have to give you a space burial from the way she was dragging you," said Carth in surprise.

"Very funny. Now let's go," said Revan aiming a slow punch at Carth's head.

"Where to captain?" asked Carth as he ducked the punch.

"Tatooine. I have a droid to pick up," said Revan with a grin.

"_Was it time to finally show himself to Malak? Was it time to stop the ridiculous war that Malak was waging?"_

"_Oh yeah, it was time."_

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**Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry if the first half of the chapter was… for lack of a better word, shit. I couldn't really write this chapter, it was hard for some reason. I don't think the beginning of the chapter had any direction but I hope I was able to partially salvage it by the end. As with Revan's break from the Jedi Order (again) this is where it starts to break away from the KotOR storyline. Yes the biggies are still there, Malak dies blah blah blah but not how it was done in the game.**

**Expect an update in a about a week or two from today. 5/16/10.**

**Laters,**

**~ Orym Hawksong**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok, so I said that I wouldn't update until the end of August because I was taking time off to work on an original piece I'm writing for publication. Currently what I have written for that is being reviewed so I'm taking my free time to work on several of my FF works.**

Revan stepped out of the Ebon Hawk and onto desert planet of Tatooine. As he looked around he heard the rest of his crew join him outside. He frowned as he saw a man dressed in Czerka Company clothes.

"Great. I hate dealing with them," muttered Revan as he put on a false smile and greeted the man warmly.

"Hello and welcome to Tatooine. Since your ship is not on the list scheduled to dock today there will be a docking fee of 100 credits," said the man as he looked at Revan.

"Our ship _is_ on the list. We do not need to pay the fee," said Revan calmly as he laced his voice with the seductive power of the Force.

"Of course, forgive me I didn't see you on the list. So sorry about the misunderstanding," said the man with an empty expression as he walked away.

"You shouldn't use the Force like that," commented Bastila with a frown.

"Trust me Bas, if you've seen what they've done in the Outer Rim you'd hate them as much as I do," said Revan.

"So what are we here for?" asked Carth as he held up a hand to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight.

"I created an assassin droid during my tenure as the Dark Lord of the Sith. I placed a homing beacon within his system in case he never returned from a mission," explained Revan.

"He?" asked Mission.

"Come on. Do any of you really think I'd create an assassin droid with a female personality?" asked Revan.

"So you tracked your droid here?" asked Bastila.

"Yeah, if I'm right he should be somewhere in this port. While we're here we should stock up on supplies. Carth I need you to grab some extra parts since we have no idea how long it'll be until we can return to a port. Canderous, I'll need you to restock our weapons cache. Mission see if you can get any good information from the cantinas. Juhani I'll need to stay behind with the ship to ward off thieves. Bastila, you're with me. We have droid to find," said Revan as he looked at each of the crewmembers when me mentioned their task.

"So, how good is this assassin droid of yours?" asked Bastila as they walked in the direction of a droid shop they had heard about.

"You remember that incident when 18 separate crime lords on Coruscant went missing within a week?" asked Revan. Bastila nodded. "HK-47's responsible."

"Are there anymore dark, murderous secrets in your closet you'd like to tell us Darius?" asked Carth dryly.

"Not at the moment no… Although I think it's time to recall the Ten. I'll need to rebuild my armada," muttered Revan as he scanned the area with the Force to make sure they weren't being listened in upon.

"Right, let's do this. With any luck there won't be any trouble, but the Force is telling me we _will_ have trouble," cautioned Revan as the rest of the crew of the Ebon Hawk nodded and went about their task.

"Darius…," started Bastila as she felt a surge of darkness through the Force.

"I know. Don't worry. I'll handle it," said Revan quietly as they walked past a corner and stared into the cold eyes of three Dark Jedi.

"Lord Malak was most displeased when he learned that you survived Revan. He has offered a great reward for whoever destroys you," said the leader as the three ignited their lightsabers.

"Don't do this. I don't want to have to kill you. Not when all of you can still be saved," pleaded Revan.

"Your petty words will not sway us Revan! To think you were once the Dark Lord… You sicken me," said the leader before all three of them leapt at Revan.

Bastila cried for Revan to do _something_ as the three Dark Jedi barreled down upon him. To her surprise Revan raised both hands and sent a pulse of Force towards the three Dark Jedi. She watched in amazement as all three Dark Jedi collapsed to the ground unmoving.

"What was that?" asked Bastila as she watched Revan take lightsabers out of the hands of the Dark Jedi.

"Morichro. It's a dangerous technique of the Force. It rapid slows down the functions of the body. It can even be used on yourself to survive without food, water, or air for over a year at a time," said Revan as he slung the three Dark Jedi over his shoulder. "Come on. We have to get that droid."

As Revan walked towards the droid shop, he ignored the stares of passersby, intent only on reaching his destination. Bastila followed him still amazed at how easily Revan was able to use a technique like Morichro. The last time that Master Vandar had demonstrated it to the Padawan it had left the Jedi Master unable to move for several minutes. Revan had shrugged off the drain as if it was nothing.

As the two entered the shop; Yuka's Droid Shop, an Ithorian male that Bastila assumed was Yuka greeted them. Within a couple minutes Revan had tossed a 4000 credit chip at Yuka who dropped it in excitement. Revan had motioned for his droid to follow him as the three left the shop.

"Query: May I engage in unadulterated slaughter, Master?" asked HK-47 the moment they stepped outside.

"No HK, you may not," sighed Revan.

"HK-47, activate command function Z, secondary backup, code: COT," muttered Revan as the three left the shop.

"Understood Master. Command function Z, secondary backup, code: COT has been completed. Code COT has received message. They are currently heading towards the rendezvous point. Would you like to attach a personal message?" asked HK-47 as he followed Revan's command.

"Yes. Tell them that the time to reveal ourselves has come. I will meet up with them at the rendezvous point. Tell them to retake said planet when they arrive. We will use it to establish our building point," said Revan as HK-47 forwarded the message using the secure channel that Revan himself had developed.

"Darius, what _is_ Command function Z, secondary backup, code: COT?" asked Bastila.

"Something to alert The Council of Ten. We will be meeting them as soon as I take care of a couple of… infestations I had forgotten to take care of. There is a Terentatek on Kashyyyk that I forgot to take care of. There is also the matter of the Czerka slavers. Kashyyyk has suffered long enough," said Revan as they made their way back to the Ebon Hawk.

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"So, hows everything going?" asked Revan as the crew of the Ebon Hawk regrouped inside the main room of the ship.

"We got, 25 Thermal Detonators, 35 Frag Grenades, 50 Flash Grenades, 35 Cryoban Grenades, 5 Echani Heavy Repeating Blaster Rifles, 5 Mandalorian Heavy Repeating Blaster Rifles, 10 standard issue Republic Blaster Rifles, 5 standard issue Republic hand pistols, and enough ammunition to storm a citadel. I also outfitted the Ebon Hawk with two ion cannons, one on either side. We should be good in any firefight in the sky," said Canderous.

"The ships coming along fine. I got enough supplies to last us quite awhile if need be. I even got a spare Hyperdrive motivator and regulator in case those break down," said Carth.

"Mission?" asked Revan as he turned to look at her.

"Well, I didn't get any information that would be useful to you Revan but I did hear something interesting that Bastila should know about," said Mission as she looked at Bastila sadly.

"What is it Mission?" asked Bastila.

"Your mother's here in Anchorhead. She…she's dying Bastila. She's trying to find you," said Mission as she looked at Bastila.

"Well… looks like we're going to be here for an extra day," said Revan as he looked at the others.

"Revan we don't have time. Every day is a day that the True Sith are coming closer to destroying the Republic," argued Bastila.

"Bas, the True Sith _are_ coming. But there are some things that we just have to do. People like us who can touch the Force, we know how badly the galaxy is doing. We feel the sorrow of the people echoing throughout the Force. It is our duty to alleviate that suffering as much as possible. This is something you have to do," replied Revan.

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"Why do I have to be here for this?" asked Revan in an annoyed voice as Bastila dragged him towards the cantina.

"Because if I have to suffer through this the least you could do is be here. After all you _are _the one that guilt me into doing this," replied Bastila, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Revan groaned as he noticed it. She wasn't going to let him off this easily.

As they entered the cantina, Revan felt Bastila tap him on the shoulder. She pointed towards a woman in the back with light brown hair and blue-grey eyes. Bastila's eyes. They made their way towards her as Revan checked each of the Cantina patrons for hostile intent. It never hurt to be cautious.

"Hello ma'am," said Revan as he bowed to Bastila's mother.

"Yes… I'm sorry, but do I know you?" asked Bastila's mother in a tone of forced politeness.

"I'm here mother, or don't you recognize me?" asked Bastila from beside Revan.

"Well what do you expect, when I haven't had so much as a picture of you since you left, do you know how long I've been trying to find you?" Helena replied.

"You knew as well I as did that communication would be almost impossible once I joined the order…now what is this about? Where is father?" Bastila asked with a sense of urgency.

"So you don't know then…well I suppose I should have known," Helena said painfully. Bastila looked at her mother in confusion.

"Has something happened to him? Are you going to tell me or not?" she asked distrustfully. Helena looked down painfully.

"Your father is dead Bastila…" the statement snuck in and Bastila's hand shot to her mouth, "That's part of the reason I was looking you" Bastila's expression soon turned to grief-stricken anger.

"Dead?" her voice was strained an attempt to hold her tears back "What happened? What did you do to him?" Bastila said accusingly as Revan gently gripped her arm.

"Well isn't this a lovely reunion, already she's throwing insults at me" Helena looked at Revan "Tell me you're one of her friends aren't you? Did you treat your mother this way?" Revan looked at her with a pained expression.

"My mother was on Deralia," Revan answered as sadness gripped his heart.. Helena's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry…well I guess I'll be joining her soon enough I suppose" Helena mused sadly.

"I was told you were sick… are you actually dying? Or is this just an act?" Bastila spat. Helena looked down.

"I can already tell you wish to blame for your father's death, so I might as well just tell you, your father and I came here to look for Krayt Dragon pearls, he took an expedition out into the desert and was killed…" Helena explained.

"How can you be sure?" Bastila began.

"Do you think I'd contact you if I wasn't sure?" Helena snapped, "One of the guide's saw your father get killed" Bastila gave up, painfully accepting the truth that her father had left this life.

"So what do you want credits?" Bastila's voice was dripping with venom and Revan knew that he had to intervene now.

"Enough Bas…" he said quietly Bastila looked at him "This hurting both of you, don't take it out on her," Bastila looked down ashamed.

"Bastila… I'd like you to find his holocron," Helena answered.

"Why? So you can sell it?" Bastila shot back, Revan shook his head and held onto Bastila gently.

"No so I have something I can remember your father by…please Bastila help me find it," Bastila sighed.

"Very well we'll look for the holocron…" Helena smiled bitterly.

"I believe he headed to the eastern dune sea's try there…" Bastila nodded and left without another word. Revan gave Helena a sad smile before he escorted Bastila out of the cantina.

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"We don't even know where to start looking," muttered Bastila bitterly as she wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"No, I do. There's only one place remotely close to Anchorhead that a Krayt Dragon would live. It also happens to the location of one of the Star Maps that lead to the Star Forge. We can go right now or we could wait a bit if you wish," said Revan kindly.

"I'm fine. You were right; this is something I have to do. Let's go," said Bastila.

As they reached the gate leading out of Anchorhead, they were briefly detained by a Czerka guard, which Revan took care of again, with the trusty Jedi Mind Trick. As they left Anchorhead, Bastila followed Revan as he guided them deeper into the desert.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" asked Bastila weakly after an hour of trekking. While she wasn't in any way out of shape the smothering heat of the desert had taken its toll on her.

"We're almost there. Don't worry. I'll be able to kill that dragon without any trouble," said Revan encouragingly.

As they climbed over a dune, Bastila looked up and saw a gigantic cavern in the middle of a large flat plain of sand. Around the entrance to the cavern, she saw what looked like corpses. As they moved closer they saw a green Twi'lek male waving towards them.

"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me out," said the Twi'lek when they reached him.

"We need to kill the Krayt Drgon?" asked Revan. The Twi'lek nodded.

"Not a problem. Just stand back and I'll handle it," said Revan confidently as he strode forward.

"Does your companion have a death wish?" asked the hunter to Bastila.

"No. He's trained in the Force. He is… very powerful. If he says he can kill it, he can kill it," replied Bastila even though she eyed Revan's back nervously.

Revan cautiously entered the cave using Force Stealth. As he entered he saw the massive Krayt Dragon crouched o the floor eyeing the entrance of the cave with a disinterested stare. He fired a blast of Force Lightning to get it roused, he purposely dropped his Force Stealth and ran back towards the entrance as he did so. With a roar, the Krayt Dragon followed him clearly intent on ripping him to shreds before devouring what was left of his body.

As soon as they were far enough from the cave Revan turned around and settled into an Echani Battle Form that he had learned from an old master living in the wilds of Thyrsus. As he watched the Krayt Dragon come down at him he reached out with his lead hand and moved it in a clockwise circle. As he finished the circle, he quickly closed his hand into a fist. The Krayt Dragon cried out in pain and agony as it felt its heart being crushed by the Force. It crashed to the ground right in front of Revan.

"Like I said. Not a problem," said Revan casually as he turned around and smirked at the stunned expressions on the Twi'lek and Bastila's faces.

"Might I learn your name stranger?" asked the Twi'lek.

"Darius. Darius Wolkos. And you?" asked Revan in return.

"Komad. I thank you for slaying this great beast. It was too close to Anchorhead," said Komad as he went over to the Krayt Dragon's corpse and dug around before pulling out two beautiful pearls. He held one out to Revan.

"Good luck Komad. Just so you know… The Force thanks you for what you have done to keep the balance," said Revan genuinely. Komad looked surprised for a moment before he bowed to both Revan and Bastila, climbed into his landspeeder and drove off.

"How did you do that?" asked Bastila in amazement.

"That was one of the forbidden techniques I learned when I started to truly master the Force. The technique works by wrapping the Force around the victim's heart and crushing. The result is instantaneous death," replied Revan.

"It sounds like something the Sith would use," whispered Bastila.

"It does, doesn't it? Actually it was devised by the _Jedi_ long ago when the Sith first appeared. They used it against the Sith in battle but they quickly realized how it lead to the Dark Side and labeled it as forbidden," explained Revan.

"Now, let's go find your father," said Revan as Bastila nodded and took his outstretched hand.

As they sifted through the corpses looking for Bastila's father Revan noticed that Bastila seemed to grow weaker with each body they found.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Revan quietly.

"Yes. It's something I have to do. I… I need, no, I _have_ to see him," whispered Bastila as fresh tears flowed from her eyes.

"Alright, but we can stop for a second if you want," replied Revan.

"I could use a break right now," muttered Bastila as she tried to smile.

Revan and Bastila sat down next to each other with their backs against the wall as Revan brought out some water from his pack and handed it to Bastila. The two sat and drank in silence simply enjoying each other's company and dealing with their own personal demons. After ten minutes Revan broke the silence, "I think I found him."

The two looked over in the direction that Revan was pointing and saw a man lying on his back. His empty eyes staring into the ceiling of the cave. His features were extraordinarily calm for someone who had stared into death's face and lost. He was even smiling. At the sight of her father, Bastila broke down and slumped to her knees crying. Revan knelt next to her as she wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his chest. Not knowing what to do Revan simply hugged her and let her know that he would be there for her whenever she needed him.

"Thanks Revan… I needed that," said Bastila as she looked up at him and wiped her tears away.

"I'll be here if you need me," said Revan quietly. It tore his heart apart to see Bastila suffering like this.

"Did you find it?" asked Revan after Bastila had searched her father's corpse for a couple minutes.

"Yeah. It's here," said Bastila in a low voice as she turned around holding a holocron.

"Do you want to give your father a decent burial?" mumbled Revan as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Bastila nodded not trusting her voice.

Revan and Bastila worked in silence as they moved her father's corpse outside of the cave and built a funeral pyre for him out of the rocks inside the cave. When they were finished Revan and Bastila stepped back and both bowed their heads to pay their respects.

"_If you're here father, I just want to say that I missed you so much, I miss you so much, and I will miss you so much. I'm thankful for time we were able to share together. I'm thankful for everything you've done for me. Most of all, I'm thankful that I was able to have you as a father, even if it was only for a short time."_

"_Can you see her Mr. Shan? Can you see the woman that your daughter has become? If you could see her now I'm sure that you'd be just as proud of her as I am. Can you see the amazing woman your daughter has become? I just want to promise you Mr. Shan, I will do everything in my power to keep your daughter safe."_

When they were both finished, Bastila stepped back as Revan closed his eyes and concentrated on the funeral pyre. Using the Force, he ignited a pillar of fire around the funeral pyre. As his concentration rose so did the pillar of fire until it could even be seen from Anchorhead. With a sigh, Revan released the Force and the fire died away leaving no trace of Bastila's father or the rocks behind.

"Come on. We won't make it back before night if we wait any longer," said Revan as Bastila nodded before taking one last look at where the funeral pyre had stood.

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Revan and Bastila re-entered the cantina and approached Helena, who looked up in surprise.

"Back already? Have you even looked for the holocron yet?" she asked incredulously.

"I have the holocron mother…but I'm not sure I want to give to you," Revan looked at Bastila as she spoke.

"Why not?" Helena asked pain evident in her voice "Would you deny me even that?"

"I have never denied you anything mother, but I remember my childhood better then you think…the way you gave to the order even though I didn't want to go…and I remember the fights," Bastila spoke bitterly.

"Foolish girl…that wasn't," Helena began.

"No I won't argue with you again mother…I want to give you the holocron but I just can't let go of my childhood memory's," Helena sighed and sat down.

"I was hard on you dear…I was never a very good mother…I know that," Helena replied "Your father loved you so…he wanted you to be just like him…he wanted you to join him on the hunts, but I told him they were too dangerous" Helena sighed again.

"Constantly moving from place to place, it wasn't the kind of life for anyone, especially not someone as gifted as you…" Bastila looked slightly shocked at her mother's words.

"So that's why you gave me to the order?" Bastila said sitting next her mother.

"Yes, and a few years later I became sick."

"Sick?" Bastila replied.

"I'm dying Bastila… the only cure for what I have is extremely expensive. I begged your father to let me go, but he was stubborn like you," Bastila felt tears fall from her face again.

"I'm so sorry mother…I don't know what to say," Helena smiled and touched her daughter's cheek.

"Keep the holocron Bastila…it was meant for you. It was always meant for you…talking to you like this…It has brought me more peace than the Holocron would have." Helena paused.

"I know…it was peaceful…I'm glad we sorted it out," Bastila replied.

"Well you must be something important and no doubt it's a Jedi affair…"Helena smiled then looked at Revan "You take care of my daughter you hear me?" Revan smirked and looked at Bastila.

"As if she'd let me do that," he answered.

"You make her let you," Helena replied looking at Bastila who blushed and then went to stand up. "She needs you more than she implies but believe me…I know she has a soft spot for you" Revan laughed slightly

"Where are you going to go?" Bastila asked standing with her.

"It doesn't matter dear just keep doing what you do," Helena replied.

"Here…" Bastila held out a hand full of credits "Take these five-hundred credits…it's all I have. Please, go to Coruscant and find a doctor, I'll meet there once I've completed my mission" Helena looked at Bastila.

"Please take it…" she pleaded, "I want to see you again after I've done what I need to do," Helena sighed with a smile, knowing this one battle she wouldn't win and took the credits.

"I have a better idea," Revan suddenly spoke. "Come with us. I have to meet some of my… friends soon. One of them is a doctor. He will be able to help you. I'm sure of it. His name is Raynos Thalkin, The Miracle Worker." Helena and Bastila's eyes widened in shock. Raynos Thalkin was a legend among doctors and physicians. Rumors stated that he was a master doctor and surgeon that used the Force to help heal his patients.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose...," said Helena in surprise as her voice trailed away.

"Please. It's the least I can do for you and Bastila. She's saved my life at least twice now," said Revan as he gave Bastila a genuine smile.

"Thank you," whispered Helena as she bowed her head.

"Feel better?" he asked, Bastila nodded with a genuine smile.

"Yes…it brought me a lot of peace,more than I thought it would have," she reached over and grasped his hand. "Thank you…for seeing me through it…" she said he nodded with a smile.

"Shall we?" he inquired. Bastila and Helena both inclined their heads and they all stood.

As they exited the cantina, Bastila guided her hand to grasp Revan's. He looked at her and she smiled shyly unsure of herself. Revan smiled back at her and made the next move, entwining their fingers as they walked back to the Ebon Hawk. Helena smiled as she watched the two dance around each other, unsure of the others feeling or their own. It reminded her of how Bastila's father and she had been when they were younger.

**I will probably work on The Phoenix's Raven or We Are One when I get some more time. After that, I'll update Shades of Grey and THEN I'll come back and update The Middle Way. Sorry, but writing takes a lot out of my creativity at times.**


	6. Chapter 6

"I have something to tell you all," said Revan as the crew of the Ebon Hawk gathered in the main chamber.

"What is Revan?" asked Carth.

"I've been lying to most of you. Alec and I weren't the only Sith Lords, although in my case, it was merely a title. There are other Sith Lords operate in Republic space, they avoid all contact and slowly bide their time until it is right to strike. They are the heralds of the True Sith's return. They were with me on Malachor V. The True Sith came and offered them power beyond most people's wildest imaginations and twisted them into the SIth Lords they are today," replied Revan grimly.

"How many of them are their?" asked Bastila, a hint of fear creeping into her voice.

"There are a couple left. I've spent most of my tenure as Dark Lord hunting them down with the assistance of the Council of Ten. Last I checked the Council was on the trail of the last two before I ordered them to move against the True SIth. We still haven't caught Darth Nihilus or Darth Sion. They are the most powerful of Sith Lord that the True Sith created, but they are still as spark compared to the inferno of the Sith Emperor. In perspective, Nihilus was probably the one that destroyed Deralia. He is… a wound in the Force. He hungers to steal the life energy from others. He has been known to leave whole planets devoid of life in his wake. Darth Sion, cannot die. He draws the Force to sustain himself well past a human body's limit. The Council of Ten has already 'killed' him six times. I myself have done it four times. He cannot be killed, and that makes him extremely deadly," Stated Revan as he looked at his companions.

"Where are we headed now?" asked Carth.

"To pick up an old friend. And while we're at it. It's time for all of you to receive further training. I refuse to take any of you with me until I'm sure you won't face certain death," said Revan as the room erupted in protests.

"No. I'm not changing my decision. You are all skilled, I admit that. But the way we are now, I'm the only one with any chance fighting the True SIth on an even ground. We cannot afford unnecessary risks at this point. Not with so much at stake. I will do everything I can to ensure all of you survive but you must understand, the True Sith are of a caliber none of you has ever fought before," said Revan calmly as he quieted the crew.

"What do you mean?" asked Canderous.

"Fighting me when I am serious is the equivalent of fighting a Kissai True Sith. If you can do that before we head into the unknown, I am confident that we will able to survive. Provided we win, of course. Therefore, we will be meeting up with an friend of mine and the Council of Ten. Each of you will be trained by one of the Ten who best fits your fighting style. We will be heading after Alec during this time, but we will be training every step of the way," said Revan as he looked at each of his friends.

"Revan, will Raynos really be able to help my mother?" asked Bastila nervously.

"If he can't, I will heal her. I don't think that will be necessary though, Raynos has never failed a single patient. Not once out of 654,782 patients has he let them die," said Revan as he smiled at Bastila.

"Who will train me then?" asked Canderous gruffly. "And what are we trained in?"

"You Canderous, will be trained by a close friend of mine. Jerc Averre, The Force Destruction. All of you will be trained in lightsaber combat and any other weapon you currently use, conditioning your body and mind, and if you are Force-Sensitive, you will be trained in the Force," said Revan.

"How long will this take?" asked Carth. "If the True Sith are coming shouldn't we be raising an army?

"Don't worry. I already have an army. Like I told Bastila, the majority of the ships and droids being produced by the Star Forge were being sent to the combat the True Sith. All that is left is for us to be prepared. If any of you are not willing to come with me, I understand. I will drop you off at the planet of your choice," said Revan.

"You were the greatest foe the Manalorian Clans ever fought. Now, you offer me the chance to fight the greatest enemies in the galaxy. You honor me Revan. I would be a fool not to follow," said Canderous, respect in every syllable.

"I am with you Revan. I will be there whether you want me to or not," said Bastila softly affection echoing through her bond with Revan.

"_Thank you Bas."_

"You saved. I owe you a debt that I must repay. If this will stop the murder of countless innocents, then I will follow you to ends of the universe," said Juhani as she nodded sharply.

"I owe you a life-debt Revan. You lead. I shall follow," roared Zalbar.

"If Big Z is coming, so am I," said Mission eagerly.

"I'll come with you, but I need to know if you'll try to conquer the Republic again," said Carth seriously.

"I'm not. When all this is done, I will create an empire where corruption does not exist and where the people's cry will not be ignored, and all who need help shall have it. The Republic is corrupt and stagnate, but I understand that change is hard to accept and I will not be one to force it onto people. If any of you wish to join me after all this is over, you are welcome," said Revan.

"Statement: Master Incoming transmission from A.K. Shall I patch it through the Ebon Hawk's comm. system?" asked HK-47.

"Yes," replied Revan as a hologram of a hooded figure appeared in front of the crew.

"Revan, all of us have gathered. The Revanchists await your orders," said the man in a soft but firm voice.

"I am on my way to the meeting point. I have friends who the Ten will personally train. You will all have apprentices soon," said Revan to the man.

"I understand. You need not stop at Kashyyyk my lord. The Terentatek has been taken care of, Master Bindo is with us and Czerka has been… _terminated_ with overwhelming force," said the man. Bastila could almost see the smile underneath the hood.

"Thank you Arus. Your initiative is always refreshing. I will meet at the rendezvous in two days then. Revan out," said Revan as the transmission ended.

"By Arus you don't mean…," started Bastila.

"I do. Arus Khan, The Emperor's Will. He was my closest friend apart from Alec before he turned. I trust him with my life. He is also the only one in the entire Revanchist organization other than myself that has managed to kill a Massassi," said Revan with hint of pride for his friend.

"Where is the rendezvous point?" asked Carth.

"It's actually within Republic Space," said Revan with a chuckle.

"Stop teasing Revan," said Bastila with a frown.

"Alright. Mr. Onasi if you would be so kind, plot a course for Korriban," said Revan with a grin at the looks of shock from every single member of the crew except for the HK-47.

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Revan heard a knock on his door as he immersed himself in the lyric energies of the Force. Basking in its presence, he called for the person to enter. Without opening his eyes he knew that Bastila had walked in and was waiting for him to finish.

"You didn't have to wait for me you know. I'm perfectly capable of talking while I'm meditating," said Revan as he stood up.

"Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of meditation?" asked Bastila with wry smile.

"Hmm…. Maybe _that's_ why Vrook was always angry at me," said Revan thoughtfully. Bastila laughed as she punched him playfully in the arm. "But you didn't come just here me poke fun at Vrook. What do you need Bas?"

"I was hoping you could be the one to teach me," said Bastila hesitantly. "It's not that I don't trust your Council–"

"You would feel more comfortable if I trained you," finished Revan. Bastila blushed before nodding and looking away. "Bas, I was always planning on training you myself. You understand me better than the others, and we have a force bond," said Revan as he looked straight into Bastila's blue-grey eyes.

"I– I'm sorry. I shouldn't… I should go," stammered Bastila as her blushed deepened. Before she could leave, Revan touched her shoulder sending shivers all through her body. She turned back to look at him hesitantly.

"Don't hide from your feelings Bas. It's not healthy," said Revan calmly.

"I'm a jedi. WE shouldn't–"

"_There is emotion, yet peace._

_There is ignorance, yet knowledge._

_There is passion, yet serenity._

_There is chaos, yet harmony._

_There is death, yet there is the Force."_

"What was that?' asked Bastila as Revan projected his words straight into Bastila's head.

"That was the original Jedi Code. The unaltered one. The one Jedi are supposed to abide by, before Odan-Urr 'refined' it," said Revan.

"What does it mean?" asked Bastila as she took a seat next to Revan.

"'Emotion, yet peace' means that we must accept our emotions but not be ruled by them. To think that one can be rid of their emotions is foolish. What the original code meant was that a Jedi is not supposed to overcome or deny their emotions but understand and deal with them. Anger, love, hate, pride, compassion, mercy all of these are to be accepted," explained Revan.

"Isn't that dangerous? Doesn't that just expose you to more temptations?" asked Bastila.

"On the contrary, by dealing with your emotions you are more at peace with yourself than if you were constantly denying them. By deny your own emotions you grow bitter. As you grow bitter your judgment wanes. As your judgment wanes, you fall," said Revan.

"What about 'chaos, yet harmony'?" asked Bastila.

"Jedi now seek to impose order on everything. Nature by its very nature, is chaotic. You cannot impose order on something whose very foundations are rooted in chaos. In the chaos of nature there exists are harmony only those close to the Force understand," said Revan. Bastila was forced to agree that Revan's explanation made sense and she couldn't find any flaws with his reasoning.

"Don't run from your emotions Bas. Emotions don't make us weak. They are the reason we are strong," stated Revan.

"I know Revan. I just… I just need some time to think," said Bastila softly.

"Of course Bas. You know where to find me," said Revan in a gentle tone as he dipped his head in respect.

Bastila left Revan's room and walked back to her own only to be accosted by her mother. She sighed as she lay on her bed while her mother questioned her about everything that was going on. She turned and glared at her mother before trying to fall asleep without any success.

"What do you want, mother?" groaned Bastila as he gave up trying to fall asleep.

"Well, I think I've worked most of it out. I just want to know… what does Revan mean to you?" asked Helena with a sly smile.

"That– He's… I– We're… We're just friends, mother," stammered Bastila lamely, she could feel the blush return to her face. Helena smirked.

"That's all I wanted to know dear," said Helena, her eyes twinkling.

"I hate you," hissed Bastila before she turned over to face the wall.

"You need to confront your feelings Bastila. You'll feel much better when you do," said Helena before she left the room as well.

"_Why am __**I **__the one being lectured?"_ thought Bastila before she fell asleep.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

"Bas… we're here," said Revan as he tried to wake her.

"Not… now…," said Bastila sleepily as she waved Revan's hands away.

"Wake up sleepy head," said Revan with a snort as he began to tickle her.

"Revan! Ah– Revan stop!" squealed Bastila as she tried to get away from him.

"Well it's your own fault you didn't get up when I asked you to," said Revan as Bastila pouted.

"It's time to go."

"Where are we?" asked Bastila.

"In the docking bay of The Emperor. My Flagship.," said Revan with a smile.

"The Emperor? Really?" asked Bastila with a raised eyebrow.

"Humility was never one of my better traits," said Revan with a chuckle.

"Obviously," said Bastila as she walked off of the Ebon Hawk with Revan by her side. She saw the rest of the brew and her mother waiting for her and she was surprised to see what seemed to be the entire crew of The Emperor standing at parade rest gazing up at their leader. Revan smiled as he raised his hand as the crew of The Emperor erupted into cheers.

"Revanchists! You have followed me because you wish to save innocents. You have followed me because you wish to help those less fortunate than yourselves. You have followed me because you wish to serve others. Today we realize our dream. Today, we take the fight to the True Sith! Today we start down the final stretch of our long road. We have lost many brothers and sisters but we must always remember our motto, 'The highest honor is to die for the ones we love.' Do not weep for our fallen, they have earned their rest thousands of times over. Today we open our brother Malak's eyes. Today we march forward. Today begins the Revanchist Empire!" shouted Revan to the overwhelming cheers of his crew. Bastila could see the tears rolling down the faces of some of the soldiers.

"Emperor! Revan! Emperor! Revan!" chanted the crowd as Revan smiled at his brothers and sisters.

"Your soldiers really love you," commented Bastila dryly.

"They aren't my soldiers Bas. They are my family. As is everyone on the Ebon Hawk. I love each and every person in my family, and I would gladly die for any of them. I can think of no higher honor than to die serving and protecting the people I love. The Jedi and Sith all spout their philosophical dogma about what is best, but when it comes down to it, I believe that we cannot be guided only by our minds, we must allow both our heart and mind to show us the past that we must walk. Without both we are truly lost," said Revan to Bastila as he led the crew of the Ebon Hawk to the doors of the hangar bay, he motioned for the magnetic field to be raised as the doors opened. The collective gasps of the Ebon Hawk's crew made him smile warmly.

"My friends, look upon the might of the Revanchist Empire," said Revan as he his eyes traveled over the magnificent sight.

Bastila had never seen so many ships in her life. What she saw now put the entire Republic Armada to shame. She had thought that Revan was only boasting when he said that he could have annihilated the entire Republic when he wanted to, now she knew that he hadn't been lying. The size of the entire Revanchist fleet dwarfed the Republic Armada. There were ten flagships other than the one that they were currently on and each had a fleet of ships one-third the size of the entire Republic Armada. The entire Revanchist fleet was over three times the size of the Republic Armada. Revan could have steamrolled over any resistance the Republic had put up with his battle strategies if he had wanted to.

"How…?" asked Bastila softly as her voice trailed away in amazement.

"We have had a steady stream of volunteers from the Republic and our own worlds as well. The Starforge can do wonderful things as well as the shipyards we have control of," said Revan.

"Revan!" came a familiar voice from behind them as Revan's eyes lit up with happiness.

"Jolee Bindo! It's been too long," shouted Revan as he turned around and saw the old Jedi walking towards him with a hooded and robed figure in black. He embraced his friend tightly before turned and hugging the robed figure as well.

"It's good to see you, Revan," said the figure with a soft and soothing voice.

"It's been to long Arus," said Revan as he pulled back and smiled at the man. "I'd like to introduce Arus Khan, The Emperor's Will"

"Pleased to meet all of you," said Arus as he lowered his hood. His golden eyes startled Bastila for a second as she thought he was a Sith but then she saw the warmth and the happiness behind the eyes and calmed herself. There was a flicker of something else as well but it was gone before she could identify what emotion it was. Arus ran a hand through his long blonde hair as he smiled at the crew.

"I know you. Arus Khan, The Emperor's Will singlehandedly defeated an entire contingent of Republic soliders and Jedi Knights by himself at Onderon. You're the only one other than Revan whose done that," said Carth warily.

"You flatter me Carth Onasi, but I'm nowhere near Revan's mastery of the Force," said Arus with a sheepish grin.

"Humility is one of his best traits," said Revan winking at Bastila while pointing to Arus.

"How strong are you?" asked Mission curiously.

"Strong enough to have fought me to a draw in lightsaber combat," said Revan as he clasped Arus on the back. Bastila and Juhani's mouths fell open. In the years of the war, no Jedi had come close to even touching Revan in lightsaber combat and now, they were standing before a man who was his equal.

"That's not technically true, He destroyed me once he used his personal style," said Arus frowning at Revan.

"Would you care to demonstrate your skill to my friends Arus? Some of them don't seem to believe that you're as good as I say you are," said Revan as he glanced over at Bastila and Juhani who both blushed.

"Of course Revan," said Arus with a smile as his golden eyes seemed to burn with excitement. Everyone backed away as the two masters circled each other. Both waiting for the other to draw their lightsabers. Arus made the first move as he ignited two lightsabers. One cyan and one bronze. He settled into a Niman position that Bastila noted was more guarded than the normal one. Revan smiled as he ignited his own sabers to everyone but Arus' surprise. One blade was white, and the other was pitch black.

Revan settled into is traditional Jar'kai stance. He held the white saber in his right hand in a reverse grip behind his back at a slight upwards diagonal. He gripped the black saber in his left hand in front of him at a slight upwards diagonal, opposite the direction of the one behind his back. He leapt forward using Ataru as he unloaded a flurry of blows upon Arus that he calmly deflected. To the observers it just seemed like a blur of cyan, bronze, black and white. The two lightsaber masters were fighting to fast form the others to clearly see the blades of the lightsabers.

Arus countered by using one of Revan's favorite tricks against him as he used the Force to turn a dial on his lightsabers that rapidly changed the length of his saber blades. Revan backpedalled quickly as he quickly switched between Djem So, Shien, Ataru, and Makashi quickly turning the flow of the fight back in his favor as he pushed Arus back. Arus calmly adapted to each style that Revan used by changing his own style as he finally saw a small opening in Revan's stance. He activated the smaller, hidden blade with in both of his lightsabers as he swung them at Revan's sides like daggers while Revan swung his lightsabers at Arus' neck.

"Dead," said Revan and Arus at the same time. Before the two friends lowered their weapons and stepped back brushing sweat off their brows.

"Revan, I took the liberty of having your armor placed in your room," said Arus as he placed his lightsabers back at his sides, inadvertently revealing that he wore the same armor that Revan wore on board the Onslaught.

"Every member of the Council of Ten wears armor like mine. It's our way of showing unity. We are one. We are the same," said Revan as he caught Canderous and Carth glancing at the armor.

"This galaxy, this universe was once a beautiful place. A place where people could make a living by the strength of their labor and the sweat of their backs. It was a place where people could be happy and carefree. I intend to make sure that that is what we leave the next generation with," said Revan quietly as he stared down at the grey surface of Korriban.

"Then it's time Revan," said Jolee as he moved to stand next to Revan.

"We're all ready Revan. We'll get through this together," said Bastila as she, Helena, Arus and the rest of the Ebon Hawk's crew moved to stand next to the Revanchist. The man that was galaxy and the Force's best chance at surivival.

"Yeah. We will," whispered Revan softly as he felt Bastila slip her hand into his.

**I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. But now that most of my stuff is finished I can hopefully start working on my writing again. I apologize for not updating sooner. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

**~ Orym Hawksong**


	7. Chapter 7

Three Months Later

In the short time of three months, the Council of Ten had transformed the crew of the Ebon Hawk from merely talented individuals to true masters in the art of war. Not a single moment was wasted. Every waking moment was spent sparring, learning, training, preparing and mastering every skill they had before and one they were learning.

"Concentrate Bastila," encouraged Revan as Bastila scowled fiercely, sweat running down her face in rivulets.

"This is harder than it looks Revan," muttered Bastila as she struggled to levitate the Ebon Hawk. So far she had managed to lift up a fourth of the massive ship about 5 feet in the air.

"Here, the key is not to command the Force. It is to submerge your entire being into the Force and gently guide it. The tree that bends is the tree that does not break," said Revan as he tapped into the lyrical flow of the Force and easily lifted the Ebon Hawk high into the air with just a thought.

"What you're doing should be impossible," breathed Bastila as she watched in amazement while Revan made the Ebon Hawk do flips and turns around the docking bay.

"And yet, I am doing it," said Revan with a smile.

"Revan, we have him. Our fleet has surrounded the Leviathan. Alec is on board," said Arus from the loud speakers.

"I understand. Prepare a shuttle for my companions and myself. It's time I opened Alec's eyes. He once was blind, but now shall see," said Revan all traces of mirth leaving his voice as he slowly returned the Ebon Hawk to where it was before his training session with Bastila.

"Are you alright Revan?" asked Bastila.

"No. I caused all of this. I should never have taken him with me. He is my responsibility. Arus, I need you and the Council to stay on your ships in case anything goes wrong. If I die, you are the Emperor. Tell Jerc that he needs to watch and see if the True Sith are anywhere near us," said Revan as his eyes burned with his humiliation at failing to save his friend and his determination to correct that mistake.

As the shuttle approached, the crippled Leviathan Revan glanced at the people sitting in it with him. Each one of them had overcome limits that they had never thought possible. He was immensely proud of all of them, and knew; without a doubt, that arrayed in front of him were some of the galaxy's best and brightest. Bastila wrapped her hand around his while sending comforting emotions through their bond as Revan mentally prepared to face his best friend.

"_This __is __what __it __comes __down __to.__So __much __devastation __has __been __caused __by __my __mistake. __I __can__'__t __allow __it __to __continue. __If __I __can__'__t __make __Alec __see __reason__…__,__"_ thought Revan. Well, he seriously hoped he wouldn't find out what he would do if Alec continued down the dark path he was on.

"Right. Canderous, HK-47, Carth you guys are going to be leading four squads down to the detention level and securing them. You have permission to use lethal force if you encounter hostiles. If anyone surrenders you are to take them alive. Zaalbar, Mission and Juhani, I need all of you to secure the main deck. You will be given three stealth squads to do that. Jolee and Bastila are coming with me to the Bridge. May the Force be with you all," said Revan as he gave out commands to everyone aboard.

As the shuttle landed in the Leviathan's docking bay Revan immediately sensed hostile Dark Jedi surrounding it .with a sigh he motioned for the others to leave it to him. As he exited the shuttle, he immediately sent a shockwave of force from his body knocking all of the Dark Jedi back as he ignited his white and black sabers. He settled into his Jar'kai stance as glanced at each of his opponents and knew that he would not be able to open their eyes.

"I'm sorry I lead all of you down this path," said Revan quietly before all of them leapt into action.

Before their time with the Council of Ten none of Revan's companions would have been able to see what happened next. Now they saw each strike, each slash. They saw every blow and every death. Bastila saw the deep regret etched into every line of Revan's face as he danced through the Dark Jedi in front of him. There was no wasted movement. There was no overly elegant parry or spin. Every movement was defined and had purpose. Revan exemplified what it meant to achieve perfection. Grace, technique, skill, speed, strength, and mastery were all perfectly melded together to form an unstoppable force with only one goal, the salvation of all life.

Some of the Dark Jedi realized the futility of their situation. One such warrior was Dustil Onasi. He had been trained to hate the Republic and everything it and his father stood for. But as Revan purposefully cut down everyone in his path Dustil started to wonder. How could the Republic be all that bad if someone as powerful and wise as Revan was fighting to save it? Surely if it had such a vaunted protector it must hold some redeeming qualities. As Revan came closer and closer to him Dustil deactivated his lightsaber. He didn't know if the Republic deserved to be saved, but he did know that Malak wasn't worth dying for. He turned around and threw his hood over his face shadowing it from view, but not before a flash of recognition appeared on Carth's face.

"Dustil wait!" shouted Carth as he ran towards his son.

"No. Don't come any closer father. I'm leaving," muttered Dustil as he reached for the Force in case anyone tried to stop.

Carth skidded to a halt in shock as Revan cut down the last of the other Dark Jedi. The entire group turned to watch the unexpected reunion between father and son. Dustil turned to fully face his father and Carth saw just how much his son had changed. Any trace of a child was gone from Dustil's features. He face was hard and completely emotionless. The only thing that betrayed his feelings were his eyes. They burned with an inner spirit and fire that Revan knew rivaled Arus Khan's. If this degenerated into a fight he wasn't sure that he could stop Dustil before he killed his father.

"I may be Sith but my allegiance is to myself. If you're here for Malak he's on the bridge. I try to stop you," said Dustil as he raised his chin defiantly towards his father.

"D-Dustil… What happened to you? I thought… I thought you were dead…," whispered Carth in disbelief.

"A former Sith saved us. He trained me before letting me go. He told me to go out into the galaxy and test his teachings first hand and see if they would hold up. They haven't failed me yet," replied Dustil a note of pride colouring his voice.

"Who was your master, Zen, Vahlok Do Laas?" asked Revan.

"It has been years since I have been called that. Ysmir, Dovah Do Faal Brom. My master was Raen, Fin Vul Thur," replied Dustil.

"What did you call my son Revan?" asked Carth as he glanced at the exchange with a sinking heart.

I called him Zen, Guardian of Life. He replied answered my name Ysmir, Dragon of the North. His master was Raen, the Dark Overlord. He and I are part of a very small group of Force users that have a true understanding of what it is. I am the current head of our order. There are only four of us at the moment. Zen, Raen, Jundomiin, and me; Ysmir. We are the few that have full control of the infinite aspects of the Force," replied Revan.

"Dustil come with us. If you're as talented as Revan says we need you. The galaxy needs you." Begged Carth.

"No. You have your motivations and I have mine. This will not come to pass father. You must accept that," said Dustil slowly his eyes softening as he stared at his father.

"Revan can't you order him to come with us?" asked Carth in desperation. Revan shook his head.

"I may be the head of our order but I can't command the others to do anything. Being the head just means I am the most powerful of us four. The most I can do is ask for their help or wisdom. It is up to each member to interpret the wishes of the Force. As each person is unique no two members will arrive at the exact same conclusion as how to best serve the Force. Raen, felt the best way was to pass on his knowledge. Jundomiin, The King of Eyes has always been someone who tries to view an event from all possible viewpoints and offering advice to those drawn into the midst of the unfolding event. I have always taken a direct approach," replied Revan.

"I was taught that the best way to fight an enemy is to observe for any weaknesses that can be exploited and exploited them at the best possible time. If there are no weaknesses create one. If no weakness can be created than you wait until it your foe creates one themselves. I am the Guardian of Life and I will fight the True Sith when the time comes. But that time is not now. Farewell Ysmir, Dragon of the North. Goodbye father," said Dustil as he walked to one of the fighters and climbed in.

"Wait! What about your mother?" asked Carth before the Dustil could lower the hatch.

"She's under Raen's protection. Last I heard they were on some planet in the Outer Rim," replied Dustil before the roar of the engines drowned out all sound. Carth watched helplessly as his son left The Leviathan. Carth felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You will see him again. Of that, I am sure. Now we have job to do," said Revan as he raised his hand and ripped the doors out of the wall before charging forwards.

Jolee and Bastila followed him as the others left to fulfill their own duties. Revan charged forward with both lighsabers ignited carving a path straight to the bridge. Hundreds of Dark Jedi and Sith Lords fell before his blades as he Jolee and Bastila merely followed behind him. With a thought the doors to the bridge of The Leviathan were blasted inwards crushing the Dark Jedi that were waiting behind it.

"You've come Revan," said Malak as he ignited his ruby red lightsaber.

"I shall make you see Alec," replied Revan.

"We shall see who should be Lord here and now," said Malak as raised his arms and fifty red lightsabers ignited and floated around him forming a formidable shield and weapon.

"Copying my move Alec?" Asked Revan as he raised settled into his Jar'kai stance.

Revan leapt through the air letting the Force flow through every aspect of his being he moved faster than even Malak's trained eyes could follow. Every slice announced the destruction of another one of Malak's lightsabers. Getting desperate, Malak sent all of his lightsabers towards Revan. Revan deactivated his lightsabers and merely raised a hand a hand and focused a blast of pure energy so strong that it shattered all of Malak's lightsabers save for the one he was using.

Jolee and Bastila watched the fight in amazement as they realized just how far above them both Revan and Malak were. They were veritable gods fighting for dominance over the Revanchists. Malak bellowed as Force Lightning; no a continuous beam of force lightning erupted from his hand towards Revan. Revan reached out and grabbed the Force Lightning and gently guided it as he spun in a circle and redirected it at Malak. Malak eyes went dark with rage as he shouted at the Force Lightning, shouting it out of existence.

Revan took the opportunity to reactivate his lightsabers and charged at Malak at speeds faster than even a Jedi Master would've been able to obtain. Malak barely managed to block the attack in time. The two became locked in a duel as both struck harder and faster than any Sith Lord or Jedi Master would have been able to withstand. Revan spun and executed a complex spin-backflip-triple slash. Malak parried with dodge-charge –whirlwind strike.

Malak threw his lightsaber at Revan like a javelin who dodged by doing a front flip. Malak then used the Force to pull the lightsaber back towards Revan's back. Just as Bastila was about to shout a warning Revan parried the strike with his white lightsaber and smiled at Malak.

"This old trick Malak? You must be running out of ideas," replied Revan as he turned and slashed the handle of Malak's lightsaber, leaving his best friend defenseless. Revan turned as Malak backed away feeling fear for the first time in this duel.

"It is time that you see Alec! Vokul Dir! Dahmaan Hin Heyv" shouted Revan pouring his entire mastery of his Force into a massive Force wave that struck Alec and launched him into the window of his bridge cracking it. Breathing heavily Revan relaxed when Alec looked up and the yellow tint of the Sith was gone from his eyes. Alec's eyes showed the horror that he had realized the destruction he had caused. Revan smiled as helped his friend stand back up.

"Wha- what did you do? I was in darkness, blind… falling…" whispered Alec as he tried to comprehend what Revan had done.

"With the Force I can rid an individual of all taint from the Darkside. I forced it to release its hold over you. The technique is… taxing to say the least. But I am glad you are back Alec," replied Revan with a genuine smile.

"Revan you have to leave!" shouted Alec as he grabbed Revan and forcefully threw him towards the door to the Bridge. "Get your friends, get off the Leviathan! You have to go! _Now!_"

"Whats wrong?" asked Revan in surprise.

"The Emperor's coming! While I was still his pawn he told me that he would be coming to personally ensure that you were dead. He's taking his entire battalion her to make sure that you die," shouted Alec as he turned and activated the Leviathan's long range scanners.

"Revan we need to leave!" shouted Arus over Revan's comm link. "I have massive amounts of inbound ships. It looks like the entire Sith armada is converging on our location."

"Go Revan. I'll hold them off," said Alec with a fire in his eyes.

"No! If you do that you'll – "

"I'll die. I'm eternally grateful that you've brought me back Revan but this is how it has to be. I will stay with the Leviathan and cover your escape. I was never destined for greatness, I see that now. We no longer walk the same path Revan, you must go," said Alec, sadness readily apparent in his eyes. Revan pulled his best friend into a bear hug, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Goodbye Alec. I swear we will meet again," said Revan before he turned around and ran with Bastila.

Bastila turned her head to catch one last glimpse of of the man known as both Darth Malak and the Jedi Knight Alec. He was standing upright there was no trace of fear in his stance, only determination. She saw him through the Force. He was no longer a void, extinguishing all light around him, He radiated a cold light, not pure like a Jedi but righteous and honorable. This was the man that Revan respected and befriended, this was the man that led Jedi time and time again to war and emerged victorious. This was the resurrection and final chapter for Alec.

"Everyone on board!" shouted Revan at his companions who were gathered around the shuttle. "We need to get out of here!"

As the shuttle boarded The Emperor Revan and his friends rushed up to the bridge to rendezvous with Arus. Revan stopped when he looked out the window to see the amount of Sith ships exiting hyperspace.

"How are our ships?" asked Revan.

"We managed to pull most of them out before the Sith could spring this trap. Alec is drawing most of their fire as he's attacking the Sith Emperor's ship," said Arus with a hint of sadness and admiration tinting his voice.

"Sir, the Leviathan is ramming the Sith flagship head on!" shouted one of the navigators as he alerted Revan and the others.

Revan turned to watch from The Emperor's bridge as the entire Sith fleet concentrated its fire on the Leviathan while it rushed towards the Sith flagship.

"He'll never survive that, with how damaged his shields are! What is he thinking?" asked Canderous.

"He's not planning on surviving. He's drawn all fire away from us, allowing us to jump to hyperspace," said Revan quietly, as more tears rolled down his face.

Revan watched without blinking as the Leviathan smashed into the Sith flagship exploding the moment it did causing critical damage to both the flagship and the ships around it, temporarily crippling the Sith fleet.

"Make the jump," said Revan as he turned away from the sight. "Goodbye Alec. May the Force be with you," whispered Revan, so quietly only Arus and Bastila could hear.

Alec smiled as his ship collapsed around him. Funny, he had always been afraid of death, now he had accepted it. A beam collapsed behind him as he continued to guide his ship towards the Sith flagship. He knew this wouldn't be enough to kill the Sith Emperor, but it would give Revan the time he needed to escape. He would never be remembered in any history books or records as anything more than a hated Sith Lord, but that was fine with him. At the very least, Revan knew and that was enough for him. The Sith flagship was only seconds away. He had no regrets, he had befriended the greatest man this galaxy would ever see, and been lucky enough to be rescued by him. He closed his eyes, smiled, and everything was gone.

**Author's Note:**

**I'm really sorry it took this long to update, but college is a lot more different than I thought it was going to be. I finally found time (the week before finals! . to finally start writing again. So I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's a bit short but it is necessary for the story.)**


	8. Chapter 8

It is when people are at lowest point in their lives that they find out who they really are. Revan smashed his Force-empowered hand through the table in rage as his eyes glowed grey with power that was unrivaled by another being other than the True Sith. He turned to look at Arus.

"Plot a course for Dromund Kaas. They will die. They will all die," said Revan as he literally began to radiate power as Bastila and the others backed away in fear.

"Revan, you're not in your right mind. I know it's hard for you bu – " started Arus.

"You know nothing! You know nothing of how I feel!" screamed Revan, empowering his voice with the Force. Arus was barely able to nullify the shout and even that used up most of his energy.

"Don't I? Remember Natharis? Do you remember how I watched my own wife die?" whispered Arus, his golden eyes burning with barely contained fury. Revan deflated at Arus' words his eyes slowly lost their glow and angry and instead Arus saw horror in shame in them at the words he had just shouted.

"Arus, I'm sorry I should never have –"

"Forget it Revan. You need to be strong. For yourself, and the empire," replied Arus.

"I know, but my rage is not my own," replied Revan his eyes started to glow grey again.

"What do you mean?" asked Bastila.

"Alek was never supposed to die," replied Revan. "The Force guides us all, in ways we can't even begin to imagine. The Jedi and Sith have some understanding of this. They see the ways the Force guides us like a man looks at a mountain, just a side of it. Members of my order can see how the Force guides every aspect of our lives as if we were viewing it like a map. The Force allows us our choices to some degree, but certain events are supposed to be constant. The Jedi and Sith coming into existence was just one of these events, they were constant and should not and were not supposed to have been prevented. The same was supposed to be true for Alek's life. He was not supposed to die today. The Force was guiding to his redemption so that he could kill the Sith Emperor Vitiate's general. By his death, the entire galaxy has been thrown off balance. An event that was supposed to happen was prevented, and as such, the Force's plan was completely destroyed. Vitiate can see how the Force guides us, and he knew that the Force was going to lead him to his death, so he set in motion a chain of events that led to Alek's death, throwing the Force's plan off and attempting to ensure his own survival."

"So what happens now?" asked Arus.

"I don't know. Not even the Force knows. We are in uncharted territory now. Not since the dawn of creation has an event that was supposed to happen be averted. But I do know one thing. Vitiate and I are still destined to face each other. There has never been a Sith; True or otherwise, as powerful as he, and there never will be again. There never has and never will be a Force-user who was not a Sith as powerful as me," replied Revan darkly.

"You're not alone Revan, we will help you," replied Jolee kindly.

"No. You must promise me this. When Vitiate and I face off, all of you must abandon me and get away, as far as you can," said Revan.

"You can't expect us to abandon you!" shouted Bastila indignantly.

"I can and I will. Universal mechanics dictate that when two celestial beings collide, there will always be collateral damage. I can't risk that happening to any of you. The powers that he and I will wield are beyond your comprehension. Stars will go supernova, entire systems will be ground into dust. None of you come close to possessing the power need to withstand our fight. You must leave. Promise me this, or I will not take you any further," murmured Revan seriously.

"But –" started Bastila.

"No. This is something that I have to do alone. Vitiate's strength is on an entire scale beyond that which you can imagine."

"He can't be that powerful," rationalized Carth. Revan glared at him.

"A Sith Lord can create a Force Storm strong enough to incinerate ten men. Vitiate's Force Storm is capable of frying a planet the size of Taris." Revan shot back. "For Force's sake! He _caused a star to go supernova_. Do you have any idea how much power it would take to do that?"

"Emperor Revan, a message from the Sith fleet," said one of the crewmen.

"Patch him through," said Revan as he put his mask on.

The screen came to light and a powerfully built man with ashen grey skin and soulless yellow eyes, smirked at Revan. The whites of his eyes were jet black and he was wearing body armor that resembled Revan's. A cloak of shadowy grey was worn over the armor and the hood darkened his eyes even more. Even through the screen everyone could tell he exemplified confidence and strength, but there was emptiness in the Sith Emperor's eyes that chilled everyone to the core.

"Revan, I thought we could talk. After all, I just eliminated a major threat to you. I'm expecting some thanks," said Vitiate maliciously.

"Vitiate, how are you doing? I hope that the base on Dromund Kass didn't suffer too much damage from the 3,000 proton bombs I was able to detonate over it," replied Revan casually. Vitiate's smile shrunk a bit.

"I hope my ships didn't give you too much trouble when you _ran away_."

"I'd like to talk about _your_ ship. How is it? I hope The Leviathan didn't cause _too_ much damage."

"Actually, it's fine. I created a Force Wall in front of my ship. The Leviathan exploded against it. Honestly, Alek was such a failure. His act in life, and he couldn't even heat the paint on my ship up. Pathetic really," said Vitiate as he started to laugh.

"This game will not end well for you Vitiate. The Force has enough mercy to let you return to Dromund Kaas. I don't. You will die. Every one loyal to you will die. I will personally make sure of it," growled Revan.

"Stooping to threats Revan? I had expected more of you. Your tactical genius is unrivaled even here my own Empire. To play this game of chess with you, is something I have never had the pleasure of experience. Not in 1000 years of life," replied Vitiate. "That's right, I'm immortal. If I wanted to I could simply wait until you died to invade, but that's no fun. We are as close to equals in power and intellect as we will find in this galaxy. I wish to test my own strength against yours. When I win, I am sure I will enjoy it."

"There is an old saying among your people Vitiate. What was it? Death is the only victor. All things come to pass Vitiate. You included," replied Revan evenly, though Bastila could feel his barely contained rage through their bond. Vitiate's smile disappeared.

"I've just taken your knight Revan. I await your next move," replied Vitiate solemnly before the transmission disappeared.

"Very well Vitiate, you have my night, let's see how you do without your bishop," replied Revan with a smirk.

"What's the plan?" asked Jerc Averre as he entered the room. Like Arus he was wearing armor like Revan's except he wore a deep blue cloak with intricate gold trim and designs on it over his armor. The hood shadowed his face giving him the appearance of a mysterious and powerful warrior.

"I'm taking my friends with me on the Ebon Hawk. We're going to Dromund Kaas and assassinating the Sith High Priest. With their priest dead, the True Sith will start to have second thoughts and doubts about this war. If I can someone like the Sith High Priest on his own planet, who else could I reach? Vitiate will begin to doubt his own security as well forcing to maneuver more carefully. If this pans out, we will be able to better predict his future moves while making them look twice at every shadow and every ally," replied Revan with a chuckle.

"What about the Council Revan? What are our orders?" asked Arus.

"Jerc, you need to find Raen and Jundomiin and have them return to active duty, your job will be to draw both the True Sith and the Republic into a fight and then leave so that the Republic will finally understand the true danger. Arus, I need you Esbern, Daelin, Sophia, and Jo to find Meetra. It is imperative that she rejoin the Council. We need her as a secondary tactician to myself. This way our double tactics will confuse Vitiate as he will only be expecting my tactics, not Meetra's," responded Revan.

"Understood Revan. Take care of yourself," replied Jerc as he left the room without making any noise.

"Force guide you, Revan," said Arus with kind eyes as he embraced his friend before excusing himself.

"I'm not going to lie," started Revan as he turned to look at his friends. "The odds are terrible. My Council has been scattered to the winds. Alek is dead. The Republic is still too blinded too see the true threat, and the Jedi have been exiled," revealed Revan.

"What?" shouted Bastila and Carth in disbelief.

"The Chancellor found out that the Jedi had aided me. He accused them of betraying the Republic and exiled them. Master Vadar, Sunstrider, Vash, Kavar, and Ell are hiding on Tatooine. The Knights have scattered to the corners of the galaxy, taking their Padawans with them. The Jedi Order, is no more," said Revan solemnly.

"Then the Republic is doomed. Without Force-users to sense the True Sith, they will be taken completely by surprise," said Jolee shaking his head.

"Which means my plans must adjust for this factor. I've calculated that if Vitiate were to strike now, My fleet would not be able to intervene until he has conquered everything up to the core worlds. The only worlds I would be able to save would be Coruscant and Corellia. Even then, it would only slow his conquest. In order to save the Republic, I must let it die."

"You can't be serious. I thought the whole point of your training was so we could stop them!" yelled Carth as he jabbed a finger at Revan.

"That _was_ the plan. I assumed that Alek would still be alive! My contingency plan for this situation was to let Vitiate conquer the Republic then launch a two pronged assault on Dromund Kaas; the Sith homeworld, and his fleet at the same time. This way I could liberate some planets save whoever is left, and then relocate them into the Unknown Regions. It is the best I can do under these circumstances."

"What about my Battle Meditation?" asked Bastila hopefully. Revan shook his head.

"It takes exponentially more strength to use at a greater distance. The more people you need to affect drains more strength. You wouldn't make any difference before you passed out from the endeavor," replied Revan.

"So I need to get stronger," replied Bastila thoughtfully.

"Bastila, no. I will not let you damn yourself for this. It's not worth it," replied Revan seriously.

"Who are you to make my decisions? I decide what's worth it for myself Revan. Not you! And if saving the Republic wasn't worth it, then why'd you do it yourself?" accused Bastila as her voice rose. Revan looked taken aback as Bastila stormed out of the room.

"I'm an idiot," Revan rubbing his forehead.

"Go after her. We can't afford any distrust within our group if we're going to war. This will be the greatest war in the history of the galaxy, and we can't afford weakness," said Carth wisely.

"I'm going. Carth gather the Legion. Have them rendezvous with the 54th at Onderon. I'm assigning you the position of Fleet Admiral. Do whatever you have to, but delay Vitiate's forces until I get back," said Revan as Carth snapped to a salute. After finding out what Revan had sacrificed for the galaxy, Carth's distrust had turned into respect and admiration.

"Jolee and Juhani you two will lead the Vanguard force-users into battle. Jolee I want you, Mission, and Zaalbar to take a battalion with you back to Kashyyyk and fortify it. The True Sith won't know the terrain. Use that to your advantage. Fight with guerrilla tactics. Juhani you and Canderous with fortify Tatooine with another battalion. Same tactics. Hit hard, fade back into the desert. Rendezvous with the Jedi Masters if you can. HK you will take the other assassin droids and operate from the shadows. Strike only to kill, and never be seen, cause as much confusion, chaos, and destruction as you possibly can in Vitiate's ranks."

With that the companions that had banded together for a common purpose on the Ebon Hawk went their separate ways. Each knowing that the only way they would see each other again was if they won the war. They all had their own duties to perform, and even one of them failing would cripple Revan's plan and any chance for a bright future. The balance hung by the edge of a knife and they all knew just what was at stake.

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"Bas are you here?" asked Revan as he tentatively entered her room. He was met with a Force Push that shoved him out of the room and the door locking. "Bas please don't be like this. I just want to talk."

"Go away," muttered Bastila, her voice barely carrying beyond the door.

"I'm sorry for overreacting alright? It was stupid of me. Please, open the door," pleaded Revan.

"You never let me do anything for myself. It was the same when I was your Padawan. You were always so… suffocating!" ranted Bastila. Revan felt a pang of guilt at the truth of Bastila's words. When she had been his Padawan learner he had always tried to protect her from everything, he had never allowed her to grow. Revan sighed.

"If… If your wish is to reach the realization that I and the others of order have come to… I will teach you. You are right it is not my choice but I want you to understand the consequences of such an action."

"Then why did you do it?" asked Bastila as she opened the door.

"I didn't do it for the Republic if that's what you're asking. The Force _hates_ the Republic. A bunch of rich, corrupt few rule over people infinitely more worthy than them. It is a system that only breeds hatred, greed, and intolerance. It is a system that needs to die," said Revan through gritted teeth. Bastila was taken aback by how much hatred Revan felt for the Republic.

"Then why?" Revan looked down uneasily.

"For you. All of it was for you," whispered Revan after a moments silence. Bastila gasped as she felt Revan completely open the Force Bond them had. She was stunned by the amount of love that Revan had for her. It seemed infinite. She also felt everything else that he felt. The soul-crushing guilt of trillions of lives. The all-consuming drive that he had. The fierce protectiveness of people's innocence. Everything that defined Revan. In that moment, she _was_ Revan.

"Now you see. I'm not a saint. I'm not a hero. I'm just a selfish person whose thrown everything away for something they care about. I'm no different from any other person in the galaxy," said Revan as he turned to stare out the window at the stars.

"Revan look at me," said Bastila gently as she reached up and turned Revan's face back towards hers. "You are _not_ selfish. You are the least selfish person I know. You are allowed to have feelings Revan. You are allowed to act on them. That was part of the code you told me wasn't it? 'Emotion, yet peace.'"

"But – " started Revan before Bastila stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. His eyes widened in shock before he returned the kiss. He grinned as Bastila moaned. She had clearly wanted this for a_ long_ time. He pulled back to stare into her grey eyes as he brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen loose. Bastila blushed under Revan's intense stare.

"You don't have to be strong by yourself. Let others share the burden. That's why Arus and Jerc pledged themselves to you. That's why the rest of us follow you. That's why I want to be with you," said Bastila as she looked up into Revan's eyes.

"I'm sorry about what I said before. You're right, I was wrong," apologized Revan as Bastila leaned into him, her eyes twinkling.

"I always am and don't you forget it," teased Bastila as she pulled away from him with a smile on her face. Revan shook his head but smiled all the same.

"Yes,_ mother_," he said with sarcasm. He was met with a slap to the back of his head. "Ow."

"Where do we go from here?" asked Bastila, a hint of nervousness entering her voice. Revan smiled as he faced her.

"Wherever we want," he said with a smile as he leaned down to kiss her again. He felt her smile on his lips. Revan chuckled as he pulled her with him as he fell backwards onto her bed.

"What?" asked Revan with a laugh as Bastila gave him a look. She turned so that she was laying on her stomach her head resting on her arms.

"Are you going to tell me the consequences?" asked Bastila.

"Like I said you will not become one with the Force. You will become an immortal guardian that carries out its wishes for the rest of time. At least that is what the Force told me. It is not a power to be sought lightly. You must be absolutely sure this decision is what you want, because unlike redeeming a Sith from the Dark Side there is no turning back. Once you start down this road, that's it," explained Revan gently.

"I could think of worse things than spending eternity with you," said Bastila with a smirk.

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"Why do you serve Revan?" asked Carth as he stopped Arus outside the bridge.

Arus stared at Carth before replying, "Noblesse Oblige. One who claims nobility and lordship must conduct himself nobly. Noble ancestry constrains to honorable behavior; privilege entails responsibility. We who are the lords of the Revanchist Empire must also conduct ourselves with honor. We do not act for recognition or gain, but simply because it is the right thing to do."

"Since when did Revan have so many honorable people following him?" asked Carth with a chuckle.

"He has always been a rallying point for the honorable. We follow him because he gives us hope. Hope that one day, those in power will be truly noble. The weak and will not be forced to live off scraps. Hope that one day I may set down my blade for good and take up the smith's hammer instead. Hope that there will be peace."

"Hey no need to be so serious. I was just asking," said Carth as he raised his hands.

"No need? When we are with our soldiers, we must _never_ let our guard down. They are willing to lay down their lives for us. We must never dishonor that sacrifice. I remember the names of every single man and woman that has died underneath my command. I will never forget them," said Arus as his he balled his hands into fists. He took a couple deep breathes before turning and leaving.

"_I didn't know all of the Council took their duty as seriously as Revan did," _thought Carth as he watched Arus disappear.

"You didn't have to taunt him," said a man with a low voice. Carth turned around to see a man with long shaggy black hair and three scars over his left eye looking at him with his good eye. Jerc Averre, the Force Destruction.

"I wasn't trying to. I just wanted to know why all of you cared so much. Why you felt it was your duty. Why not let someone else do it? "asked Carth.

"Like Arus said, 'Noblesse Oblige'. We have power and that comes with responsibility. We cannot simply leave the weak to their fate and claim lordship and nobility. It is our duty and our sacred honor to sacrifice our lives if need be, in order to preserve the lives of those who cannot fight," said Jerc as he looked at Carth.

"And Revan?" askd Carth.

"Out of us all he is the noblest and most honorable. He shoulders this burden freely and without complaint. He has felt pain and sadness enough to drive a weaker man insane, and yet he continues to fight. He is always the one that gives us words of comfort when we feel all is lost, and yet he does not ask for those words in return. He is the candle in the darkness. We follow him because it is _our_ duty. He leads us, because it is his," said Jerc.

"One last question," said Carth as Jerc turned to leave. "Why are you called the Force Destruction?"

"You'll find out soon enough," said Jerc with a feral smile.

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Bastila relaxed as she sat down in a traditional meditation pose while Revan knelt behind her and placed both his hands on her shoulders. The air hummed with energy as Revan's released the strength he had been holding back and let it flare wildly. Every Force-sensitive being in the galaxy would have felt it. Bastila gasped as he started to pour all of it into her. At first she felt like she would explode from all of the energy. She felt like a dam that was about to break. Then the Force exploded past her, force her along like a leaf on a roaring river.

Her mind which had been so narrowly limited felt like it was expanding in every direction faster than she could have ever imagined. She felt her senses expand past Revan's room. Then past Revan's ship. Soon her senses had encompassed the entire system they were in. She marveled at countless number of life forms in the solar system, sentient and non-sentient before her senses were pushed even further and with awe she realized that she was now feeling the senses of the entire galaxy.

"_Is this what a god feels?"_ wondered Bastila as she felt every single being in the entire galaxy. There were hundreds of quadrillions of life forms. If she could have seen every living thing as a bright dot, the galaxy would've shimmered with more brightness than all the stars in the night sky.

In that moment Bastila knew why Revan fought. She understood the burdens that he carried. The weight of every battle lost meant billions of lives extinguished. She knew then, that it was not Revan's destiny to stand alone against the coming darkness. It had been only him. She would be there as well, and so would Arus, Jerc, Carth, Juhani, Jolee, and everyone who believed in him would stand by him to the very end. With a smile she saw Alek watching over his old friend, no longer tainted by the Dark Side with a peaceful smile on his face.


End file.
